‘Definitely a shortage’: Indian mission chief admits accommodation crisis at Asian Games, reveals extra rooms booked

Indian Chef of Mission Sahdev Yadav (ANI Photo) NEW DELHI: India’s chief of mission Sahdev Yadav has admitted the lack of accommodation at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, revealing that the Indian contingent had to book extra hotel rooms after its accommodation quota was reduced upon arrival in Japan.Yadav said the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian contingent have made their own arrangements for hotels and transport to ensure that the athletes are not affected by logistical issues surrounding the Games.“They all have accommodation and there is no problem from our side. Initially there were some problems so we booked another hotel. Our team goes directly to the airport. The accreditation process is quite lengthy and it takes place on the cruise so it takes a lot of time. There are also some transport problems but we have arranged our own arrangements for cars and hotels for our players. We have 18 more rooms booked today and we have definitely booked 18 more 0 rooms today,” Yadav said. journalists.The entry comes amid wider concerns about accommodation, transport and accreditation in the run-up to the official start of the Games on Saturday.Organizers have decided against building a traditional athlete village, instead using container-style accommodation, hotels and a docked cruise ship. The Olympic Council of Asia said on Friday that all athletes and officials registered by the application deadline had been provided accommodation suitable for the Games, acknowledging the logistical burden.

“Our priority is to take care of our children”

Yadav said the Indian contingent is not interested in assigning blame and will instead focus on ensuring that the athletes are comfortable and can focus on the competition.“There has been some mismanagement, but this is such a big event that anything can happen. But we don’t want to focus on who is to blame. Our priority is to take care of our children, solve all their problems and make sure they are well and well taken care of. We want them to focus on their performance, win medals and then relax. That is our wish and we are working on it,” he added.Yadav also revealed that India was informed upon its arrival that its accommodation quota had been reduced, forcing the contingent to make alternative arrangements at short notice.“When we arrived here, we were informed that our accommodation quota had been reduced. So we had to book other hotels within a day,” he said.Reports also highlighted the delay several Indian athletes and teams were facing in reaching their accommodation, while additional rooms had to be arranged as more contingent members arrived.

The flag ceremony was postponed, then canceled

Concerns over accommodation were followed by another organizational setback on Friday, when the traditional flag-raising ceremony involving India and four other contingents was delayed and then abruptly called off.The ceremony at the Garden Pier, which included Yemen, North Korea, Palestine, India and East Timor, began after a 20-minute delay before being halted. Organizers initially said: “We apologize for the delay. There were some difficulties with the team. We will try to resume in another 15 minutes.”The disruption ended up lasting more than an hour. Organizers later attributed this to a communication problem between the Olympic Council of Asia Executive Board and the organizing committee.India’s Deputy Chefs of Mission A Sharath Kamal and Anjali Bhagwat started moving towards the stage before returning to the waiting room after the ceremony was delayed again.“I have never seen such a scene,” Yadav told PTI.The ceremony eventually went ahead and India was represented by former shooter Bhagwat and former sprinter Lijo David Thottan.The disruption added to logistical concerns surrounding the Games, even as India set to enter Saturday’s official opening ceremony with two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker and two-time defending Asian Games throwing champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor named as the country’s flag bearers.

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