New Delhi, September 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Double Asian Games 2026 medallist Rudrankksh Patil has opened up about the travel, accommodation and transport issues faced by the Indian shooting contingent during its journey to Japan for the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Patil won a silver medal in the 10m Air Rifle team event and a bronze in the individual competition. Speaking to the media after his medal-winning performances, the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games team-event gold medallist detailed the difficulties faced by the shooters from their departure in India to their stay in Japan.
Patil said the contingent faced a lengthy journey from Bhopal to Delhi and then to Japan via Hong Kong. He said their flight from Bhopal to Delhi encountered problems and made an emergency landing in Jaipur.
From Delhi, the team flew to Hong Kong before facing a six-to-seven-hour halt and then continuing to Japan on another five-hour flight.
After arriving in Japan, the contingent reportedly waited around three hours at the welcoming centre for a bus. Patil said they eventually reached their hotel at around 3:30-4 am, only to discover that the hotel they had booked was not the one where most of their rooms had been allotted.
He said the coaches objected to the arrangement and questioned the organisers over the change in accommodation.
Patil explained that the organisers had adopted an accommodation model in which one main hotel was connected with several other hotels, with rooms allotted according to availability. The Indian shooters were placed in a nearby hotel where the rooms were considerably smaller.
Coaches Arrange Single Occupancy for Shooters
Patil said the rooms were too small to comfortably accommodate two shooters with their luggage.
He said the coaches therefore decided to provide single occupancy to each shooter, which made the stay more comfortable despite the limited space.
Describing the room as small but comfortable and cosy, Patil said he had eventually grown to like the accommodation.
Delayed Buses Create Another Challenge
The shooter also highlighted problems with transportation to the competition venues.
Patil said buses were taking significantly longer than the promised travel time, with journeys that were expected to take around 70 minutes sometimes taking two to two-and-a-half hours.
He said the situation improved the following day after the Indian authorities intervened.
To prevent athletes from missing competitions because of delayed buses, the government arranged private cars for the shooting teams. According to Patil, rifle, pistol and shotgun teams were provided with dedicated cars, with athletes scheduled to compete using the vehicles on their respective competition days.
He said the arrangement helped ensure that athletes could reach their events on time despite uncertainty over bus availability and schedules.
Patil Praises Handling of Issues, Japan’s Sustainability Efforts
Despite the difficulties, Patil said he appreciated the prompt manner in which the issues were addressed and praised the overall atmosphere in Japan.
He acknowledged that the rooms were small but said they contained the facilities required by athletes and viewed the accommodation as part of the local culture.
Patil also praised Japan’s approach to sustainability during the Games. He said organisers were asking athletes in advance whether they would have breakfast, lunch or dinner and preparing food accordingly to minimise wastage.
He said Japan was demonstrating an ecological and sustainable approach to conducting major sporting events.
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