Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Table Tennis

Seven Indian table tennis players denied boarding Air India flight

Seven Indian table tennis players denied boarding Air India flight
X
By

Sounak Mullick

Published: 22 July 2018 3:36 PM GMT
Seven Indian Table Tennis players including nation’s top-ranked Women’s player Manika Batra and veteran Mouma Das have been denied to board their Air India flight at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi. The group of paddlers were on their way to Melbourne to participate at the ITTF World Tour Australian Open. A total of 17 table tennis players from India were supposed to fly ‘Down Under’ for the tournament, but only 10 could manage to board. The other 7 could not make it, they were restricted entry to the aircraft as the flight was overbooked according to the Air India counter. Manika Batra, the most talked about player in the country did not hesitate to spread the word on social media. She tweeted about the incident and even tagged the Sports Minister of India Mr Rajyavardhan Singh Rathod. https://twitter.com/manikabatra_TT/status/1020999819035381760 Her tweet stated, Our contingent of total 17 players & officials of Indian table tennis team including CWG medalist myself, Sharath Kamal, Mouma Das,  Madhurika, Harmeet, Suthirta, Sathyan were supposed to fly today to Melbourne by AI 0308 to participate in ITTF World Tour Australian Open from tomorrow.” Neelam Kapur, the DG of Sports India replied to her tweet and informed that the authority will take steps immediately. Meanwhile, Air India has given the concerned players accommodation in a two-star hotel on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road. Harmeet Desai was the only one among the men who were left behind in the capital. The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) however put the entire blame on Air India and their irresponsibility. “This is all Air India’s fault. The Sports Ministry did all it could to facilitate this tour. But for an unacceptable reason and irresponsibility of Air India, the players have suffered, their preparation has suffered. It’s a loss for the country,” stated MP Singh, the secretary general of the TTFI. The latest update on the issue was that the quick action of Neelam Kapur did indeed get an alternate flight booked for the team leaving later today evening. https://twitter.com/NeelamKapur/status/1021026772601589760 With respect the circumstances under which the players were treated in this manner, Neelam Kapur's social media handle seems to suggest that the team reached the airport late which resulted in the confusion. https://twitter.com/NeelamKapur/status/1021044468043010048 Now that the matter is solved, we wish the table tennis contingent all the best for the tournament.
Also read: Is India on the cusp of a Table Tennis revolution?
Next Story