India's Winter Olympic team did not wear donated uniforms and some, like flag-bearer Shiva Keshavan, wore personal clothes to the opening ceremonies. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

An international controversy has erupted over the donation of uniforms to India's three-man Winter Olympic team for the opening ceremonies — uniforms that Indian Olympic officials ultimately told team members not to wear.

News organizations in India picked up the story that the team had no appropriate uniforms for the ceremonies, apparently causing some embarrassment for team officials.

Critics writing online blamed the controversy on the Indian government's lack of funding for the team.

"India will start treating its sports people better only if the politicians … stop lining their pockets with funds earmarked for the sports people," said one message in response to the story on the NDTV website.

"Our government is not taking good steps for promoting sports in India," another wrote.

The Surrey, B.C., businessman who made the outfits on short notice and then donated them to the team said he was disappointed but did not want to get embroiled in the controversy.

T.J. Johal, owner of uniform supplier Sports Unlimited in Surrey, said he received an urgent request he thought came from the team. "I gave them [the uniforms]," said Johal.

"They had asked for the colour white and that would be in with the theme of BC Place stadium. It was all dressed up with the India embellishment on the back and the front."

When he watched the opening ceremonies and saw India's Olympic Team wearing light blue, less expensive looking sportswear, he was surprised, he said. Some members of the delegation wore regular street clothes.

"I don't think it was up to par," said Johal.

He said getting the outfits made took a lot of effort.

Offended by media reports

India's flagbearer and team captain, luger Shiva Keshavan, wore formal slacks and a long coat — not the light blue uniforms worn by his teammates.

Keshavan said he was grateful for Johal's support and the efforts of B.C.'s South Asian community to hold a fundraiser for the team, but said after the ceremonies that the decision not to wear the donated uniforms was not up to him.

The team's Chef De Mission, R.K. Gupta told CBC News that he was offended by media reports that he felt portrayed the team as a charity and that is why he decided the athletes wouldn't wear the uniforms given by Johal.

Three-time Olympian Indian luger Shiva Keshavan told the Surrey fundraising gathering he was grateful for the support. (Meera Bains/CBC)

"We never demanded as an official of the Indian team any help from anybody," said Gupta, who attended the fundraiser held in Surrey last week by the local South Asian community.

A Canadian associate of Keshavan made the request for the new sportswear, Gupta said.

Johal said he was receiving interview requests from newspapers in India but said he did not want to speculate about why the decision was made and wanted to steer clear of the controversy.

"There's obviously some political agendas that that we don't know about and I really don't care to get involved in."

With files from CBC's Meera Bains