No special ‘room’ for cricket: IOA draws line on BCCI’s Asian Games stay

Indian cricket team (ANI Photo)

New Delhi: If the BCCI decides its cricketers need to stay outside the official Asian Games hotels in Aichi-Nagoya, the board will have to take full responsibility for accommodation, food, transport and ensuring that its players reach the venue on time. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), meanwhile, will not seek separate accommodation arrangements for cricket, as it’s for the cricket body and Organising Committee (OC) to work out an amicable solution.IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer, speaking to TOI, said the BCCI is free to make its own arrangements if the organisers’ hotels don’t suit its requirements, but the decision and the accompanying logistical responsibility would rest with the Board. The IOA, he stressed, has to ensure equal treatment and the welfare of the entire Indian contingent across 36 sports.“BCCI CEO Hemang Amin got in touch with us (IOA), and we had a fruitful discussion. They are contemplating sending an advance team to Japan to assess the facilities. The IOA is completely fine with that. Based on their assessment, they can decide whether they want to use the organisers’ facilities or make their own arrangements. It is for the BCCI and the organisers to work out the best solution. All sports, athletes, coaches and the entire delegation are treated equally by IOA,” Iyer said.For now, the Games organisers have a designated accommodation plan for both Indian teams. The men have been allotted the three-star APA Hotel Nagoya Ekimae, while the women have been assigned the four-star Meitetsu Grand Hotel, it’s been learnt. Both properties possess the requisite amenities, though they are a grade below the five-star accommodation to which India’s cricketers are generally accustomed. Rooms will be on a twin-sharing basis, another major bone of contention.The women, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, face the first logistical test. They return from the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sept 13 and are scheduled to fly to Nagoya the following day. Their Asian Games campaign begins directly in the quarterfinals on Sept 18, with their tournament scheduled to conclude on Sept 22.The men, led by Shreyas Iyer, will travel later, leaving for Japan on Sept 21. They too enter directly at the quarterfinal stage, with their campaign running from Sept 28 and the team scheduled to return on Oct 4.With both teams having different arrival windows, the BCCI is now looking at the accommodation and logistics from its own perspective. An advance team is travelling to Japan early next week to inspect the hotels, cricket venue and other facilities before the Board takes a final call, sources revealed.The availability of suitable alternatives could be crucial. Aichi-Nagoya is already under considerable accommodation pressure, with the number of athletes and coaches expected to rise to around 17,000 from an original planning figure of 15,000. Existing hotels are being supplemented by mobile accommodation and the Costa Serena cruise ship.If the BCCI decides the official hotels do not work for its teams and opts for separate properties, it will have to arrange the entire operation, including rooms, food, local transport and travel to and from the cricket venue, while ensuring the players reach the ground well ahead of match time.That arrangement, however, would not put the cricketers outside the Games system. The BCCI would have to communicate its decision through the IOA to the organisers, and all Games-related security, accreditation and access protocols would continue to apply. Outsiders without valid accreditation would not be permitted into the team hotels.The separate stay would also have implications for anti-doping procedures. WADA and International Testing Agency (ITA) dope-control officers would have to be informed of the players’ location so that random testing can be carried out at their chosen accommodation.Iyer said the IOA was comfortable with the BCCI assessing what works best for its players.“The BCCI is taking care of its athletes, and sending an advance team is the right way to assess the facilities before making a decision. We are completely for the well-being of the athletes. Our objective is that the entire Indian delegation has a comfortable stay and a wonderful experience in Japan,” he said.The contrast with Los Angeles 2028 is already emergingWhile Japan’s cricket arrangements have prompted scrutiny, planning for cricket’s Olympic return at Los Angeles 2028 is already well advanced. Iyer was part of a joint IOA-Sports Authority of India (SAI) delegation that recently spent nearly a week in Los Angeles, meeting stakeholders and inspecting facilities across sports, including cricket.“The objective is to ensure athletes can focus only on their performance and do not face logistical issues. We are thinking well in advance about their welfare, comfort and acclimatisation, and this is something which is happening for the first time,” Iyer said.

Cricket’s LA28 venue, the newly built Knight Riders Cricket Ground at the Fairplex complex in Pomona, is located next to the Sheraton Fairplex Suites & Conference Center, where the cricket teams are expected to be accommodated. Major League Cricket matches are also expected to provide an early competitive test of the new venue and playing surface.Before the Asian Games, India and Japan will also share a historic cricketing moment. Their men’s teams meet in a T20I on Sept 22 for the Suzuki Cup, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations and giving India valuable match practice ahead of the Games.