The Indian contingent comprising of 17 members were on their way to Melbourne to attend the ITTF World Tour Australian Open which starts from Monday. Seven players were denied the boarding of an Air India flight on the grounds that the flight was overbooked. Out of the 17-player contingent, only 10 could board the flight
In an incident that betrays the callous regard the state has for the sportspersons that make the nation proud, Indian table tennis star Manika Batra and six other players found themselves in the most unfortunate situation as they were left stranded at the IGI airport while on their way to Melbourne to take part in the ITTF World Tour Australian Open.
On Sunday, the Indian contingent comprising of 17 members were on their way to Melbourne to attend the ITTF World Tour Australian Open which starts from Monday. Seven players were denied the boarding of an Air India flight on the grounds that the flight was overbooked. Out of the 17-player contingent, only 10 could board the flight.
Batra and Mouma Das, the star players of India, were the ones who were stranded along with other members. Commonwealth Gold medallist Batra took to Twitter to share her ordeal and notify the Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She tweeted, letting the ministry know of the harrowing experience for the members of the squad.
In response to this, DG of Sports India Neelam Kapoor said that the matter would be looked into and immediate steps taken. MP Singh, secretary general of the Table Tennis Federation of India, strongly condemned the incident stating that the sports ministry made all the appropriate arrangements but it was the lack of management on Air India’s front.
Contd- On reaching Air India counter we were told dat flight is overbooked &only 10 members of TT team can fly which left us in a shock.7 of us are still unable to fly.All the tickets were booked by Balmer Lawrie. Shocked at such mismanagement by
— Manika Batra (@manikabatra_TT)Singh said this incident had had a predominant negative impact on the minds and preparation of the players. He also condemned the Air India's arrangement of two-star accommodations for the players and stated that this incident reflected a shameful behaviour towards people who work hard to make the nation proud.
Will look into this immediately https://t.co/3bjQdvg0Ht
— Neelam Kapur (@NeelamKapur)Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.