No furniture for Indian hockey teams in Olympic Games village

NEW DELHI: When the crew is hungry, a good captain shares his quota of food. The Chef de Mission for Indian Olympic contingent in Rio de Janeiro, Rakesh Gupta, appears

NEW DELHI: When the crew is hungry, a good captain shares his quota of food. The Chef de Mission for Indian Olympic contingent in Rio de Janeiro, Rakesh Gupta, appears to be a follower of the principle, with him providing the television set in his apartment to the hockey team.

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On Monday it was revealed that India hockey team’s high performance director, Roelant Oltmans, had written to the Indian Olympic Association seeking permission to purchase three TV sets for the team staying at the athletes’ village in Rio. “Thank you very much to offer your TV to our team to be able to watch the Hockey matches during the Olympic Games. As we discussed I’ve tried to rent more TV’s but unfortunately they are sold out in the Village. I would like to get permission to purchase 3 TV’s to be able to follow the Hockey Competition in both the Staff Rooms and at least in one of the male and Female Apartments,” Oltmans wrote in the mail.

Oltmans had also sought 28 chairs and “at least one table” for the seven apartments they were provided with in Rio, adding the local organisers did not offer them these.

Gupta has now provided the team the TV set and furniture in his apartment in Rio to the hockey side. “The Hockey coach, Roelant Oltmanss had wanted some TV sets and chairs and tables. I gave my TV set and table and chair to them so that the players could be comfortable. Meanwhile, we have made a request to the Organisers to give the hockey team some more furniture and TV sets, but they seem have run out of them.” Gupta said in a statement. “We are trying to work on it,” he added.

PRACTICE MATCH WIN

They may be in want of television sets, but Indian men’s hockey team isn’t short of confidence. On Sunday, India beat Spain 2-1 in a practice match at Rio.

The loss is a turnaround for Oltmanss’ boys after losing to Spain in two practice games in Madrid, where they were training in preparation for the Olympics. “The weather was very hot in Spain. We were coming from very good weather in Bengaluru and it was very hot and humid, almost 40 degrees in Madrid. So it was good to get a game in Rio against Spain and we played well,” said captain and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.

For India, Akashdeep and Rupinder Pal scored through a penalty corner conversion.

India have not won an Olympic medal since the gold in 1980.