The 35-member Indian shooting contingent faced a severe logistical nightmare upon their arrival in Japan. While logistical issues are being reported by every country’s contingent, the experience that the Indian unit had to face was arguably among the worst. NDTV, through its ground reporting in Nagoya, has learned that the Indian shooting contingent enduring transport delays, accommodation shortages, and training disruptions ahead of the start of the Games.
The team arrived at the airport at 9:00 pm on 15th September and cleared customs by 11:00 pm, moving swiftly to the accreditation validation centre, where credentials were validated within 15 minutes. However, the smooth progression abruptly ended when athletes and coaches were left stranded at the accreditation centre without transport from 11:45 pm until 3:00 am.
Transport to the designated team hotel finally arrived at 3:00 am, reaching the property around 3:30 am. Upon arrival, the delegation was left stunned as it came to know that only seven rooms had been reserved for the 35 members.
IOA Intervenes
The situation was such that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had to intervene, an emergency accommodation was arranged across two properties 400 metres apart, with a total of 18 rooms being allocated. By the time this arrangement was finalised, the initial transport had departed.
The situation prompted athletes to manually drag their suitcases, along with heavy shooting equipment and ceremonial uniforms, along public streets in the early morning hours. Male athletes made multiple trips between the properties to assist female teammates with the heavy luggage. The contingent finally completed check-in procedures between 5:00 am and 5:30 am, more than eight hours since landing in Nagoya.
After resting on 16 September, the contingent attempted to resume training on the morning of 17 September, which is when a fresh setback happened. Scheduled to board a 7:00 am bus to reach the shooting range by 8:20 am, the athletes encountered further delays as only one bus had come to take them to the training centre.
Multiple team members and coaches were made to wait in line for three and a half hours, eventually boarding a bus at 10:30 a.m. and reaching the venue at 12:30 pm.
The mismanagement by the organisers has raised significant concerns regarding the event’s operational readiness for high-performance athletes.
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