Indian Express: Only bean bags in players’ rooms, Hockey India president Narinder Batra lashes out at India’s Chef de Mission
India hockey team coach Roelant Oltmans had written a letter complaining about the lack of basic facilities for teams at Games village.
Only after a day the Indian hockey team landed in Rio, coach Roelant Oltmans wrote a letter to India’s Chef de Mission Rakesh Gupta complaining about the shortage of chairs and television sets at the Games Village and the players’ apartments not being properly furnished. A day later, since no action has been taken on the issue, Hockey India president Narinder Batra took to social media to bring the issue to the notice of Gupta and posted photos of Indian team facing lack of basic facilities at the Games Village and alleged that “you do not believe in acknowledging or replying to mails from Hockey India.”
In the pictures shared by Batra, the players can been seen lying on the bean bags and the apartments are empty with no basic furniture. Batra, in his post, asked Gupta “have you all gone for a paid holiday to Rio.”
“Dear Mr President IOA and Chef De Mission Indian contingent… have you all and IOA Staff who have gone to Rio, are on some kind of a Paid Holiday? (sic),” he wrote in his post.
He also mentioned part of Oltmans letter which said that “hanging in these bean-seats will lead to injuries on the long-term. Apart from 2 chairs and the 4 bean-seaters, there is nothing in the living room, nothing to hang clothes also.(sic),” wrote Oltmans to Batra.
The Hockey India president shared photos and video of players in the apartment and waiting for some solution to the situation. He said he is sharing this on social media because Gupta and IOA have not acknowledged or replied to mails from Hockey India.
He also asked IOA and Gupta to sort out the problems for both men’s and women’s team so that they can perform and also took a shot at Gupta saying “I certainly hope you want Indian teams to do well…”