No special ‘room’ for cricket: IOA draws line for BCCI stay at Asian Games

Indian Cricket Team (ANI Photo) New Delhi: If the BCCI decides that its cricketers must stay outside the official hotels of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the board will have to take full responsibility for accommodation, food, transport and ensuring that its players reach the venue on time. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), meanwhile, will not pursue a separate accommodation for cricket as it is up to the cricket body and the Organizing Committee (OC) to work out an amicable solution.Speaking to TOI, IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer said the BCCI is free to make its own arrangements if the organizers’ hotels do not meet its requirements, but the decision and related logistical responsibility will rest with the board. The IOA, he stressed, must ensure equal treatment and welfare of the entire Indian contingent in the 36 sports.“BCCI CEO Hemang Amin contacted us (IOA) and we had a fruitful discussion. They are considering sending an advance team to Japan to assess the facilities. The IOA is totally fine with that. Based on their assessment, they can decide whether they want to use the organizers’ facilities or make arrangements themselves. It is up to the BCCI and the organizers to come up with the best solution for all the athletes and all the sports coaches, IOA,” Iyer said.For now, the organizers of the games have decided the accommodation plan for both the Indian teams. The men were allocated the three-star APA Hotel Nagoya Ekimae, while the women were allocated the four-star Meitetsu Grand Hotel, it was learnt. Both properties have the necessary amenities, although they are a notch below the five-star accommodation that Indian cricketers are generally used to. The rooms will be on a double sharing basis, which is another major bone of contention.Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, the women face their first logistical test. They are returning from the Asia Cup in Dubai on September 13 and are due to fly to Nagoya the following day. Their Asian Games campaign begins directly in the quarter-finals on September 18 and their tournament is scheduled to end on September 22.The men, led by Shreyas Iyer, will travel later and leave for Japan on September 21. They too enter the quarter-finals directly, with their campaign running from September 28 and the team’s return scheduled for October 4.With the two teams having different arrival windows, the BCCI is now looking at accommodation and logistics from its own perspective. The advance team is traveling to Japan early next week to inspect hotels, cricket venue and other facilities before the board takes a final call, sources said.The availability of suitable alternatives can be decisive. Aichi-Nagoya is already under considerable pressure for accommodation, with the number of athletes and coaches expected to rise to around 17,000 from the original planned number of 15,000. Existing hotels are being supplemented by mobile accommodation and the Costa Serena cruise ship.If the BCCI decides that official hotels do not work for its teams and opts for stand-alone properties, it will have to provide the entire operation, including rooms, food, local transport and travel to and from the cricket venue, while ensuring that the players reach the ground well in advance of the match.However, this arrangement would not put the cricketer outside the games system. The BCCI would have to communicate its decision through the IOA to the organizers and all security, accreditation and access protocols related to the Games would continue to apply. Foreigners without valid accreditation will not be admitted to team hotels.A separate stay would also have implications for anti-doping procedures. WADA and International Testing Agency (ITA) drug control officers would have to be informed of the players’ locations so that random testing could be carried out at their chosen accommodation.Iyer said the IOA is satisfied that the BCCI is evaluating what is best for its players.“The BCCI cares about its athletes and sending an advance team is the right way to evaluate the facilities before taking a decision. We are completely for the welfare of the athletes. Our aim is for the entire Indian delegation to have a comfortable stay and a wonderful experience in Japan,” he said.The contrast with Los Angeles 2028 is already emergingWhile Japan’s cricket measures have drawn scrutiny, planning for cricket’s Olympic return in Los Angeles 2028 is already well advanced. Iyer was part of a joint IOA-Sports Authority of India (SAI) delegation that recently spent nearly a week in Los Angeles meeting stakeholders and inspecting facilities across sports, including cricket.“The aim is to ensure that the athletes can only focus on their performance and not have to face logistical issues. We are thinking about their well-being, comfort and acclimatization well in advance and this is something that is happening for the first time,” Iyer said.LA28, the newly constructed Knight Riders Cricket Ground at the Fairplex complex in Pomona, is located next to the Sheraton Fairplex Suites & Conference Center, which is expected to house the cricket teams. Major League Cricket matches are expected to provide an early competitive test of the new venue and playing surface.Ahead of the Asian Games, India and Japan will share a historic cricketing moment. Their men’s teams will meet in a T20I on September 22 at the Suzuki Cup, marking 75 years of diplomatic ties and giving India valuable match practice ahead of the Games.