"I Was A Ghost in Their System": Indian MMA Athlete Writes On Asian Games Chaos, Then Deletes Post
The opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2026 is just two days away, and the Indian contingent is facing some severe logistical difficulties in Japan
The opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2026 is just two days away, and the Indian contingent is facing some severe logistical difficulties in Japan. Sources told NDTV on Thursday morning that Indian athletes had to wait for extended periods to receive their allotted rooms, with the shooting team among those facing significant inconvenience. India's shooting campaign begins on September 20, but the logistical challenges are posing a major threat to the athletes' preparations. Later, the problem was resolved, but not all were happy.
Varun Sanyal, a bronze medallist at the Asian Championships in China in January 2026, posted a video on X and talked about his struggles. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is making its debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
In a long video, which was later deleted, Sanyal recounted his travel from London to Nagoya via Mumbai and Singapore. Sanyal said that despite having a valid accreditation card, officials could not find his name.
"It's been one crazy day, and it's still not over. I thought it was done, but it's not. There's a lot of chaos with regard to the athletes' rooms and the assignment of rooms. Had this happened in India, 100% this would be a bigger deal. The media would be running wild with it, and India as a country wouldn't hear the end of it," Sanyal said in the video.
"When you get to Nagoya, from the airport they take you on a shuttle... and as soon as you get there, it's total chaos. I go to the counter... and they just cannot find my name anywhere in the system. Like, I'm a total ghost in their system. This took about two hours... I'm not exaggerating, for two hours they're running around. By the time we left that facility, it had been three hours. By the way, my situation wasn't solved," he added.
The Indian MMA athlete later wrote on X that two Indian athletes suddenly turned up in his room and then realised all three had been assigned the same room. That post was later deleted.
"Update: After 2 days of being awake and 10 hours of waiting, I was given a room. I fell asleep for a grand total of 30 minutes before being woken up by 2 Indian athletes staring at me confusedly. Turns out, they were assigned this room but are now stranded," Sanyal wrote on X.