Five different 'Villages' made the job of officials responsible for the country's contingent a bit difficult but India's Chef de Mission for the Commonwealth Games (CWG), Rajesh Bhandari, expressed satisfaction over the facilities being provided to the athletes.
"We are satisfied with the facilities here. The teams from different disciplines will be staying at five different 'Villages' and these venues are far away from each other. However, we have deputed officials at different locations to take care of athletes and cater to their needs," Bhandari told this daily from Birmingham.
Usually, all athletes stay in the dedicated Games Village but the organisers of Birmingham 2022 have arranged five different accommodations for athletes. More than 5000 athletes are set to take part in the sporting extravaganza.
As per the official communication issued by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), athletes taking part in swimming, athletics, gymnastics, squash, and hockey, will be staying in Commonwealth Games Village Birmingham (CGB) while the ones in badminton, boxing, table tennis, weightlifting and triathlon will be put up in Commonwealth Games Village NEC (CGN).
Those participating in wrestling, judo and lawn bowls will be based out of Commonwealth Games Village Warwick (CGW) while the cricketers will be in Commonwealth Games Village City Centre (CGC). With the cycling event set to be staged in London, the track team will be staying at the Satellite Village (SVL).
A couple of women cricketers tested positive and were asked to stay back in the country even as the team left on Sunday. Speaking about the medical facilities at the venue, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bhandari said, "A proper system is in place here. The organising committee will conduct random Covid tests and if anyone turns out to be positive, then he or she will be isolated."
Judo team leaves today sans Jasleen
The Indian judokas are scheduled to depart for the CWG on Wednesday morning. They will reach Birmingham via Dubai. However, only five judokas are leaving with coach Jiwan Sharma. Jasleen Singh Saini, who was picked up following the selection trials, has to wait for the decision of the administrator Justice Pankaj Naqvi (retd), former judge of Allahabad High Court, who took charge last month after Judo Federation of India following an order from the High Court of Delhi.
Jasleen, who was supposed to compete in the -66kg weight category, has been suspended for an incident, which happened during the Madrid European Open and Training camp last month. Two more judokas were suspended along with Jasleen. It is learnt that the probe report has been submitted to the administrator, who is likely to arrive at a conclusion in a day or two.