Hockey India president, Narinder Batra, has asked the Team India performance director, Roelant Oltmans, to go ahead and purchase necessary furniture for the team currently being forced to sleep on bean bags in their accommodation in Rio.
While writing to Oltmans, Batra also hit out at Indian Chef de Mission to Rio Olympics, Rakesh Gupta. He told Oltmans to not waste time on ‘on hockey requirements with Chef De Mission of India since he will only delay and tell sweet stories.”
Batra wrote, “Dear Roelant, Ok pl go ahead and purchase, hockey India will cover the entire cost of INR 1,38,000/- apxx… Further no need to waste time on hockey requirements with Chef De Missionof India since he will only delay and tell sweet stories and we cannot allow hockey to suffer for his incompetency. You can call me or Elena anytime…
“Good Luck Teams India and all the very best Neil and Roelant…(sic)”
On 1 August Oltmans wrote a letter to Gupta, to complain about unfurnished accommodation provided to both the men’s and women’s hockey teams.
A day later the Hockey India Hockey India president Narinder Batra took to social media to highlight the urgency of the problem.
Batra’s Facebook post said, ” 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?… Please sort out the problems Indian Men and Women Hockey Teams on URGENT Basis, I certainly hope you want Indian Teams to do well…
“I am putting this on social media since both of You do not believe in acknowledging or replying to mails from Hockey India.”
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:rediff.com)
