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What's the story?
The Indian weightlifters have been left without physios and masseuse in their preparations for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. IOA have explained that the delay in the applications for physio's accreditation has left the Indian team in such a predicament. A delegation registration meeting of the Indian contingent took place on the 24th of March and since the accreditation for physios was only applied for 2 days later, they will only be allowed day passes with access to just the training.
In case you didn't know...
India is sending a strong contingent in weightlifting to the Gold Coast. 19 Athletes are headed to Gold Coast where they will be expected to participate in 16 events.
The heart of the matter
As reported by Sportskeeda earlier, the Indian weightlifters were left in a difficult situation after a delay in application led to the absence of physios and masseuse from the camp. Speaking to Sportskeeda, weightlifter Satish Kumar spoke regarding the situation, "We are the top medal contenders for India and yet, we have no physio or masseur with our team in the Games Village. Also, we have only four coaches whereas we need at least five to six."
The Indian Olympic Association confirmed that the problem was caused by a delay in the application for physios. As a result, the physios are only allotted a 'P' Category accreditation. The accreditation will allow only limited access to the support staff. Entry will only be allowed to the training area. IOA confirmed that this information was conveyed to the Weightlifting Federation well in advance.
This situation is not new to the Indian camp as they had to face similar circumstances in Glasgow in 2014, as well as in the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.
What's next?
India will start their Commonwealth Games campaign on the 5th of April, with weightlifting starting on day 1 as well. The exclusion of the support staff will hurt India's chances in weightlifting, an event from which a lot of medals were expected.
Author's take
Whenever there is a multi-sport event in which India participates, controversy follows. In a situation similar to 2014 and 2016, the weightlifters are left without their physios and masseuse.
Even though entry will be allowed to the support staff with the help of day passes, limited hours will restrict their involvement with the team, a situation, which will surely hurt India's chances.
