Days to go for Paris Olympics, shooters lose precious time shifting hotels at Bhopal camp

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, July 9

The start of the Olympic preparation camp for rifle shooters could not have been worse as they were asked to vacate their hotel out of the blue.

Camp could’ve been held elsewhere

We could have held this camp elsewhere if there was a problem with the bookings. Some of us are also carrying our second spare weapon; so it’s difficult to shift so quickly. A shooter

The team had assembled in Bhopal on July 7 and its stay was booked at the Radisson. However, the team members were told to vacate the hotel on Tuesday and check in at another hotel for a day that caught the shooters off guard.

Now, after staying at Lemon Tree, the team, coaches and support staff will once again shift base to the Radisson on Wednesday. This change has disturbed the daily schedule of the shooters.

The shooters, who usually train in the morning, return to their bases and then take an afternoon nap. After that, some of them either do meditation or work on their fitness. All this has been disturbed.

“This was a sudden change. We were all told to pack up and shift to a different hotel this afternoon. Now, we will have to come back again after training tomorrow,” said a shooter on condition of anonymity.

The Olympic preparation camp is being held in Bhopal from July 7 to 14 after which the team will fly to France to train in Volmerange-les-Mines before heading to the Olympic venue in the Chateauroux shooting centre for the Olympic Games.

Another shooter said the bus that took them to the Bhopal range had a leaky roof, with no air conditioner. “What is the point of all this? We could have held this camp elsewhere if there was a problem with the bookings. Some of us are also carrying our second spare weapon; so it is very difficult to shift so quickly,” he said.

The shooting contingent’s high performance director, Pierre Beauchamp, has taken the responsibility for this confusion. In a WhatsApp group made for the shooters, Beauchamp urged them to focus on the immediate goal for the week, which was to work on the final simulation training.

However, the National Rifle Association of India has called it a simple case of miscommunication. According to the association, the team was told beforehand that it would be required to shift out for a day, but the message was not relayed back to the entire team.

“There was a bit of a confusion and the message could not be conveyed to all shooters that they will have to shift to another hotel for one night. The break was because the hotel was booked for a marriage function,” Bhatia told The Tribune on Tuesday.

“An option was given to them to stay in the present hotel with one night break or stay in the Lemon Tree hotel, which is on a par with the Radisson, for stay without a break. A majority opted to stay in the Radisson,” he said.