Urina Education Minister Nityananda Gond ordered an inquiry after a video showing school wrestlers from the state traveling in cramped conditions near a train toilet went viral on social media.
“I have been informed that our students traveling to Uttar Pradesh for the national championship faced inconvenience during their train journey due to a ticket issue. We will look into the matter and start an inquiry. Necessary action will be taken based on the findings,” Gond told ANI.
The video purportedly shows 18 athletes from Odisha, including 10 boys and eight girls, who traveled to participate in the 69th National Schools Wrestling Championship in Uttar Pradesh. Due to the absence of confirmed tickets, several players were reportedly forced to sit on the floor near the train toilets in the general compartment.
Images circulating online show athletes sitting next to their luggage in a narrow passageway outside the restroom, an area often used as a transition between trainers and known for its unsanitary conditions. Some of the wrestlers are seen wrapped in winter clothes to protect themselves from the cold, while others look exhausted and resting on bags.
According to NDTV, the players had to endure similar conditions on the return journey as well, as there were no confirmed tickets for the return journey.
The incident drew widespread criticism on social media, with users questioning the measures taken for young athletes representing the state at a national sporting event. Several users expressed concerns about the safety, dignity and well-being of athletes.
One user wrote: “An absolute disgrace to Odisha’s sports and education department!”
Another user wrote: “Eighteen school wrestlers from Odisha, including 10 boys and 8 girls, were sent 1,200 kilometers to a national meet with almost no tickets, forced to sit on the floor next to train toilets in winter. This is how India treats its future champions while ministers fly business class.”
A third user wrote: “Absolute disgrace, this is the reality of our country, no money for infrastructure or growth but let them spend it on pitiful rewards.”
“This is how you kill a sports culture before it even starts: 12-17-year-old wrestlers sent 1,200 km to fight for a medal in Odisha, but the state can’t even guarantee them a bed, so they squat in the dirt in front of the train toilet in the dead of winter, and then repeat the same ordeal on the way back. The same ministers should bow to the Olympians who explained to the camera why future Olympians are being treated worse than with passengers without tickets while millions fly for stadium inaugurations, commercials and photo shoots,” wrote a fourth user.
“This is why we will never become a sports nation, we either treat athletes like demigods or trash, we don’t treat them like athletes, they deserve respect, they represent our states and nation,” wrote a fifth.
