“We wish to keep away from any last-minute hiccups and work out options to all these points upfront,” Bajwa informed The Indian Specific.

This follows a latest assembly the place the nation’s Olympic sports activities officers had been learnt to have been requested by authorities representatives to go away no stone unturned to make sure a file Asian Video games medal haul as that might assist in “boosting the morale and positivity” within the lead-up to the elections.

Final month, Sports activities Minister Anurag Thakur, after a gathering of the Mission Olympic Cell, had exuded confidence that the nation would file its best-ever efficiency at Hangzhou. It’s learnt that 600-700 athletes, the most important contingent ever to characterize the nation on the Asian Video games, will take part in all disciplines besides cricket.

Bajwa mentioned one of many points on high of the agenda is to determine modes of communication, given that the majority apps used elsewhere are blocked in China. Entry to look engine big Google and its e-mail service has been blocked in mainland China since 2014, whereas WhatsApp was disabled in 2017. Fb and Instagram too can’t be accessed from the mainland.

Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra bears the tricolour as he leads the Indian contingent at Gelora Bung Karno throughout the opening ceremony of Asian Video games 2018. The gamers arrived in blue fits, smiling and with small flags of their arms, waving to the gang. India has despatched a contingent of 569 athletes who will take part in a complete of 36 sports activities. (Supply: PTI)

Indian gamers and coaches largely depend on WhatsApp for calls and messages whereas travelling overseas. Bajwa mentioned he’ll request the Chinese language organisers to supply native sim playing cards for the athletes and coaches to speak with one another.

“We are going to ask them what number of sim playing cards they’ll present us, and from the place can we procure them – whether or not on the airport, on the athletes’ village or another place,” Bajwa mentioned. “When groups land on the airport, they’re greeted by a neighborhood liaison officer who additionally gives the staff delegate a sim card. However we’ve got many coaches and athletes who need their very own sim playing cards for fundamental communication, like checking out their schedules,” he mentioned.

Bajwa mentioned his different precedence might be to persuade the organisers to allot area to arrange an India Home. “After reaching Hangzhou, the athletes, coaches and dignitaries can first go to the India Home, benefit from the hospitality after which proceed to the village or every other lodging,” mentioned Bajwa, who will characterize India on the assembly subsequent week.

The India Home might be a hospitality zone on the sidelines of the Video games that might additionally showcase Indian artwork, tradition and delicacies, aside from internet hosting medal celebrations and meet-and-greet alternatives with athletes. Up to now, India has twice tried to arrange such a facility. The primary try was throughout the 2016 Rio Olympics, however because the concept was floated simply a few months earlier than the Video games, it needed to be shelved. The Indian Olympic Affiliation then tried once more for the Tokyo Olympics and even recognized its location, however with the pandemic-hit Video games happening in a bio-secure bubble, the plan was as soon as once more cancelled.

“Whether or not they settle for our request and allot us area stays to be seen as a result of, for them, it’s a query of accommodating requests from the 45 international locations that can participate within the Video games,” mentioned Bajwa, who can also be the president of the Wushu Federation of India. “In the event that they agree, it will likely be excellent for us.”

In the meantime, Hockey India knowledgeable the IOA on Thursday that it intends to ship the boys’s and ladies’s groups to Hangzhou a minimum of every week upfront in order that they will get acclimatised. A Paris Olympics berth is at stake for the Indian hockey groups, with the Asian Video games doubling up as a qualifying occasion.

5 years in the past, in Jakarta, the Indian girls’s staff received a silver medal whereas the boys needed to cope with a bronze as each groups didn’t safe direct qualifying, which is reserved just for the gold medal winners. This time, Hockey India needs to go away nothing to probability.

“Hockey India has informed us they wish to attain Hangzhou every week or so upfront. We are going to now examine with the organisers if athletes might be given entry into the village in addition to entry to coaching services one week upfront,” Bajwa mentioned.

The IOA can even request the organisers to rope in cooks from Indian eating places in Beijing or Shanghai.

“If that doesn’t work out, we are going to request the Indian authorities, and fly to Hangzhou with our personal cooks,” Bajwa mentioned.