Asian Games: Mismanagement continues as Indian gymnast Pranati Nayak, coach allotted same room on cruise ship

A room mix-up, hours of uncertainty and a missing letter in official paperwork, Indian gymnast Pranati Nayak and her coach Ashok Mishra endured a late-night accommodation ordeal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.The duo were mistakenly assigned the same room aboard a cruise ship being used to accommodate the Indian contingent, triggering concerns over the mixed-gender arrangement. The issue was resolved only after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) intervened, with alternative accommodation finalised around 1:30 am on Thursday.However, the ordeal continued when Mishra went to collect the keys to his separate room, only to be told that his booking could not be found in the hotel register.IOA intervention resolves room mix-up after midnightAccording to NDTV, the accommodation issue remained unresolved for several hours despite attempts to contact the local organisers. The initial arrangement had placed Pranati, India’s lone gymnast at the Games, and her male coach in the same room. The situation was eventually escalated to the IOA, whose intervention helped secure separate accommodation for the athlete and her coach at around 1:30 am.Pranati later confirmed the incident, telling NDTV: “Yes, there was a mix-up during the accommodation. It was resolved around 2:00 am.”Missing letter in coach’s name delays room allocationEven after alternative accommodation was arranged, Mishra faced another administrative hurdle while collecting his room keys. Hotel staff reportedly could not locate his booking in the register because the letter ‘I’ had been omitted from his name in the official system records.The clerical error had to be corrected, and his accreditation verified, resulting in a further delay of around 45 minutes. Mishra was finally able to settle into his room well past 2:00 am.Despite the late-night disruption, Pranati is fully fit and focused on her upcoming competition. The Indian gymnast’s qualification events are scheduled to begin on September 19, as she prepares to represent the country at the continental showpiece.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.