‘Place to rest and get food’: 15 Indian homes on standby as Nagoya chaos hits Asian Games contingent

NAGOYA: With athletes forced to sleep at the registration arena and others enduring endless waits for rooms and buses, the Sports Ministry has stepped in to take stock of the situation facing the Indian contingent here.Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who arrived in Japan on Friday morning, has also sought the support of the 2,000-strong Indian diaspora in Nagoya as efforts intensify to ensure athletes are not inconvenienced.With almost half of the 505-member Indian contingent yet to arrive, a three-layer system has been put in place to streamline their arrival and accommodation.At the airport, two deputy chefs de mission have been deployed to ensure arriving athletes do not have to wait for transport to the athletes’ welcome centre. The ministry has also hired buses so that athletes do not have to depend solely on Games-organiser transport, which has been severely delayed in recent days.At the welcome centre, three Indian officials have been stationed to assist athletes through the registration and accommodation process.With a shortage of hotels in Nagoya and a period of around five days when virtually the entire Indian contingent will be in the city, officials are also anticipating further pressure on accommodation.As a precautionary measure, around 15 homes of Indians living in Nagoya have been kept on standby to provide temporary shelter if required.“Even if they don’t stay there, in case of any delay in allotting accommodation, our athletes will have a place to rest and get some food as well,” a source said.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.