No central point at airport led to shooters’ delay

The absence of central points for athletes at the domestic terminal of the Delhi airport was the reason for

The absence of central points for athletes at the domestic terminal of the Delhi airport was the reason for the Indian shooting contingent being stranded for hours, on their arrival here from Pune.

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Indian and international athletes, flying into the Capital, are required to report immediately to the central point on arrival, for security reasons.

But the catch here is that the only central point is located at the international terminal while the Indian shooters landed at domestic terminal.

"The shooters were transported to the international airport for security purpose. They had to go to the central point and if you look at it from a security point of view there was nothing wrong with that,” said Rajeev Bhatia, general secretary of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

Asked why there was no central point in the domestic terminal for Indian athletes, Bhatia said "That was done to avoid confusion."

Indian marksmen, who arrived here yesterday night, were made to wait for over five hours to get their accommodation at the Games Village.