TOKYO, Jul 20: Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra on Tuesday said it does not take much time to get out of the airport here and the arriving athletes should not take stress, thinking they would have to wait for long to complete the formalities.
Batra, also a member of the International Olympic Committee, will be self quarantining for three days in a hotel provided by the IOC, till July 23.
“As I reached Tokyo today, people are being made to have the fear that it took a lot of time to get out of the airport here. It took just one hour for me to get out of the airport,” Batra said from Tokyo during the online send-off event of the 26-member track and field athletes.
“Out of that one hour, 30 minutes was for COVID-19 test. If there was no COVID-19 test, it would have taken taken just half an hour to collect the luggage and come out of the airport.”
He said the situation is not that that bad in the Japanese capital and the athletes should not take undue stress.
“Please don’t take stress. You will be facilitated to get out of the airport. Athletes are being taken through a different channel and they get out (of airport) quickly.
“We have explained everybody that if you miss something, there is a declaration form and you can fill it and get out of it (airport).”
The 47-member contingent, including 26 athletes, will be the second big group leaving for Tokyo after the first one left on July 17.
“Athletics is growing though we lack a medal so far (in Olympics). I don’t see that day far and it is time to break that whatever have not been happening in Olympics.”
Athletics Federation of India’s Planning Commission chairman Lalit Bhanot also said that he had interacted with the Indian contingent’s chef-de-mission and his deputy and they said that it was not difficult to get out of airport and reach the village.(PTI)
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