India began the shooting competition in Nagoya on Sunday with two silver medals
Athletes and coaches faced a transport mess before reaching the range
Only one bus arrived, forcing coaches and support staff to step off
Coaches Leave Seats For Athletes! Nagoya Bus Delay Chaos Overrides India's Shooting Success At Asian Games
Athletes and coaches faced a severe bus shortage, with only one bus arriving and support staff asked to deboard, leaving many stranded
Summary
India opened the shooting competition in Nagoya with two silver medals on Sunday, but a transport mess outside the range quickly became the bigger talking point. Elavenil Valarivan led India’s showing on the first day and emerged as the star of the competition.
The disruption started before anyone reached the range. Athletes and coaches were told to gather at a fixed time at the bus stop for the ride, but only one bus turned up. It filled fast, leaving many behind, and coaches and support staff were then told to step off because there was no room. Even after that, the bus could not take all the athletes.
Some coaches objected, saying this had never happened before and asking how the athletes could travel without them. The response changed nothing, and the other choice was to leave the athletes there.
Bus Shortage Chaos
The shortage soon turned into a match-day problem. Coaches protested that athletes should not travel without them, but that did not change the situation. The alternative was to leave the athletes behind.
Even after the coaches stepped off, all the athletes still could not fit into the bus. The obvious question followed — why were there not more buses on a competition day? That did not lead anywhere.
The deeper worry is that this is not a one-off. Hindustan Times reported that organisers have done little over the past few days to ease the strain and buses are still hard to find. Those who missed the bus had to sort themselves out — pay for taxis and spend thousands to reach a range about 70 kms away, or wait for the next service and risk arriving late.
Unheard Of Comparisons
The comparison is stark. Imagine Gautam Gambhir being told to deboard so players could get to the venue because there was no space for him.
Or imagine Pullela Gopichand being asked to get off and the team having to compete without him. In elite sport, those are situations few would expect to see.
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Yet that is what this feels like in Nagoya. These are unheard-of scenes, and they keep happening daily there.
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