Tri-colour unfurled at Games village

The Indian tri-colour was hoisted to the strains of Jana Gana Mana at the Sydney Olympic village on Monday evening to mark the country's presence at the millennium Games even as a few drops of rain greeted visitors.

The Indian contingent was welcomed with the words "Jai Hind" by the chairman of Culture, Australia - Neville Roach, whose ancestors hailed from Goa.

The Indian contingent's chef-de-mission, Ashok Mattoo, provided encouraging news to the country's media persons by stating that all is well with the country's athletes.

The hockey team, led by half back Ramandeep Singh, which went to Australia well ahead of the Games to acclimatise itself, notched a 3-2 victory over a Sydney eleven in a practice game on Sunday, according to team manager K Jyotikumaran.

Baljit Singh Saini scored the first goal for the Indians against the local outfit which had some top players including former Olympian Ken Beck, Jyotikumaran said, and added that the other two goals were scored by Sameer Dad.