No breakfast! Chaotic start for Indian athletes ahead of Asian Games

The Olympic Council of Asia has implemented a strict safeguarding code for the Asian Games. Inappropriate relationships and degrading language are strictly prohibited for all participants. Violations

BENGALURU: Indian athletics contingent that landed in Japan ahead of the Asian Games had a harrowing time, waiting more than four hours for check-in after reaching the hotel at 10 am, local time, on Sunday.

The men’s and women’s teams and the coaches are accommodated in three different hotels which are more than four km away from the training facility at Tsukuba.On Monday, the men’s contingent was shocked when their hotel staff informed them that no breakfast had been booked for them.“The entire men’s squad didn’t get breakfast at the hotel. The hotel staff stated they had not received notification to serve breakfast to the athletes.

Many athletes went without food that morning. Few of them went out and managed to grab a bite but this exposed a lack of planning by the officials deputed by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI),” sources told TOI. “The athletes faced another problem on Monday evening when the designated bus didn’t come to pick them up for the training session.

”They also said that they had to travel four kms for lunch and dinner. The Japanese hotel provided rice and soybeans for breakfast.

“There is no special diet — no fruit (which is expensive in Japan). At the Indian restaurant, they were served rice, roti and chicken,” sources added. The Indian athletics contingent landed in the Japanese city to make their final preparations at the University of Tsukuba ground.