Asian Games Diary: From delayed departure to photos with locals

Express News Service

HANGZHOU: A delayed trip, helpful volunteers, being treated like a rockstar and figuring out Chinese in a week. This reporter faced it all in the eight days he was in Hangzhou. Here’s a look at the diary…

September 18

The original plan was to go to Chennai airport, check in nice and early before arriving in Hangzhou on the night of September 19. But with Newton’s third law at work, I was thrown out of the airport because of a typo in the accreditation card (it also doubles up as visa). At some level, this was a big goof-up somewhere. While the Games began, I was left to chew on the mistake for the next 10 days while the process to issue an e-accreditation card (doubling up as a visa) started all over again.  

September 29

On my way to the airport began. I’m mentally prepared to be ejected out of the airport again. I mean, I don’t even know if the authorities have been briefed about the e-cards. Thankfully, I get my boarding pass as well as clear immigration with minimal fuss. After many false dawns, I fly out. In Singapore, though, I face a stumbling block. They haven’t seen an e-card but they want to trust me in good faith. So, they let me pass after taking a photo of my passport and e-card. I land in Hangzhou a full night later. One of the first things I see upon my arrival in the Media Village are ‘free condoms available here’. Thought only athletes needed it while the media worked from 8.00 AM to 2.00 AM.

October 1

Covering Aditi Ashok’s last round is going to be my first assignment in Hangzhou. She’s leading by so many strokes they may as well give her gold now. However, she has a horror Day four and drops many shots to only win silver. Just before the end, one of her family members, who shall remain unnamed, picks up a fight with a few members of the Indian press corps. All in a day’s work. In the night, another gold becomes silver as the men’s badminton team lets a 2-0 lead slip against China to lose the final.

October 2

If you want to see Chinese fans against Indian players, the TT hall is the place to be. They are cheering on the North Koreans in the women’s team semifinal. India aren’t too fazed but still lose. Initial impressions of Hangzhou are for a country that doesn’t like the US, they are exactly like the US. High-rise buildings everywhere, the public go nuts for KFC and English songs (the crowd sings along to ‘We Will Rock You’ at one of the venues, like Hello) dominate. Meanwhile, one senior Indian official is giving a lecture on how to do journalism to journalists. Please stay in your lane, kind sir. This official is on record, comes on record to say he’s on record but says everything is off the record 20 minutes after holding centre-stage. If any of what the official said becomes public, let’s just say it may become tricky.

October 3

Hangzhou loves its pork. It loves it so much that every meal has different varieties of pork on the menu. Today, it’s the day of some good, old *checks notes* pork butt (it literally says ‘grilled pork butt’). Another day, pork elbow is part of the delicacies.

October 4

Diary has a first-hand experience of what it’s to be treated like an Indian cricketer, or a film star. There is an hour’s free time in the afternoon where Indian athletes do not compete, so a few journalists decide to take a pleasure boat (there is no pleasure on the boat, wash your dirty minds) on the picturesque West Lake. This place doesn’t see too many brown-skinned people so there is a strong urge to take pictures with them. For 15 minutes, we are treated like rockstars, with mothers wanting their kids to stand next to us. We pose in all manner of ways, while finding the experience very awkward. This continues throughout the Games. We are pretty sure that our faces are in the phones of 100s of Hangzhou locals and volunteers, whose tireless work have made these Games what it is.  

October 5

The diary is invited to dinner by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). There’s going to be Indian food, so the press corps have decided to get their priorities right. Food first, copies to offices second. There’s also free liquor but the diary is working. By the time the night is over, at least one senior official needs the help of a volunteer to climb down the stairs. Oh, well.      

October 6

Bajrang Punia is going to be in competitive action for the first time in more than a year so some of us decide to travel more than an hour to take in wrestling. It’s in the Lin’an district. It’s like the place you would typically see in a Hollywood movie where cops race against time to find a serial killer. So, it’s only natural we go in search of food only to land up at the local hospital. On the sporting front, it’s confirmed. India will finish with more than 100 medals. You say a small prayer to the Gods for witnessing this moment in real-time and not via TV.  

October 7

On the day when India breaches the 100-medal mark, they win six more gold. Super Saturday with a couple of capital S’s. While there is a fight in the kabaddi, the badminton stars have created history. Cricket produces another gold while chess delivers late in the day. There is a plan to go out for dinner (rather than eat food in the Main Media Centre). But all the stories of the medals don’t write themselves, so the diary stays back till midnight. Just like every other day.

October 8

The first and only India-free day at the Games so diary goes sightseeing. But it is very under-prepared. One of the metro lines is shut so that plan goes out for a toss. Yet, inadvertently, diary lands up for a spectacular view from the other side of the city. A very pretty Hangzhou looks prettier, so the phone cameras work overtime. But it’s very clear I’m lost. Volunteers — shout out to Jack and Carol who put me in a taxi — again come to the rescue.   

<br /> HANGZHOU: A delayed trip, helpful volunteers, being treated like a rockstar and figuring out Chinese in a week. This reporter faced it all in the eight days he was in Hangzhou. Here’s a look at the diary…September 18<br /> The original plan was to go to Chennai airport, check in nice and early before arriving in Hangzhou on the night of September 19. But with Newton’s third law at work, I was thrown out of the airport because of a typo in the accreditation card (it also doubles up as visa). At some level, this was a big goof-up somewhere. While the Games began, I was left to chew on the mistake for the next 10 days while the process to issue an e-accreditation card (doubling up as a visa) started all over again.  September 29<br /> On my way to the airport began. I’m mentally prepared to be ejected out of the airport again. I mean, I don’t even know if the authorities have been briefed about the e-cards. Thankfully, I get my boarding pass as well as clear immigration with minimal fuss. After many false dawns, I fly out. In Singapore, though, I face a stumbling block. They haven’t seen an e-card but they want to trust me in good faith. So, they let me pass after taking a photo of my passport and e-card. I land in Hangzhou a full night later. One of the first things I see upon my arrival in the Media Village are ‘free condoms available here’. Thought only athletes needed it while the media worked from 8.00 AM to 2.00 AM.October 1<br /> Covering Aditi Ashok’s last round is going to be my first assignment in Hangzhou. She’s leading by so many strokes they may as well give her gold now. However, she has a horror Day four and drops many shots to only win silver. Just before the end, one of her family members, who shall remain unnamed, picks up a fight with a few members of the Indian press corps. All in a day’s work. In the night, another gold becomes silver as the men’s badminton team lets a 2-0 lead slip against China to lose the final.October 2<br /> If you want to see Chinese fans against Indian players, the TT hall is the place to be. They are cheering on the North Koreans in the women’s team semifinal. India aren’t too fazed but still lose. Initial impressions of Hangzhou are for a country that doesn’t like the US, they are exactly like the US. High-rise buildings everywhere, the public go nuts for KFC and English songs (the crowd sings along to ‘We Will Rock You’ at one of the venues, like Hello) dominate. Meanwhile, one senior Indian official is giving a lecture on how to do journalism to journalists. Please stay in your lane, kind sir. This official is on record, comes on record to say he’s on record but says everything is off the record 20 minutes after holding centre-stage. If any of what the official said becomes public, let’s just say it may become tricky.October 3<br /> Hangzhou loves its pork. It loves it so much that every meal has different varieties of pork on the menu. Today, it’s the day of some good, old *checks notes* pork butt (it literally says ‘grilled pork butt’). Another day, pork elbow is part of the delicacies.October 4<br /> Diary has a first-hand experience of what it’s to be treated like an Indian cricketer, or a film star. There is an hour’s free time in the afternoon where Indian athletes do not compete, so a few journalists decide to take a pleasure boat (there is no pleasure on the boat, wash your dirty minds) on the picturesque West Lake. This place doesn’t see too many brown-skinned people so there is a strong urge to take pictures with them. For 15 minutes, we are treated like rockstars, with mothers wanting their kids to stand next to us. We pose in all manner of ways, while finding the experience very awkward. This continues throughout the Games. We are pretty sure that our faces are in the phones of 100s of Hangzhou locals and volunteers, whose tireless work have made these Games what it is.  October 5<br /> The diary is invited to dinner by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). There’s going to be Indian food, so the press corps have decided to get their priorities right. Food first, copies to offices second. There’s also free liquor but the diary is working. By the time the night is over, at least one senior official needs the help of a volunteer to climb down the stairs. Oh, well.      October 6<br /> Bajrang Punia is going to be in competitive action for the first time in more than a year so some of us decide to travel more than an hour to take in wrestling. It’s in the Lin’an district. It’s like the place you would typically see in a Hollywood movie where cops race against time to find a serial killer. So, it’s only natural we go in search of food only to land up at the local hospital. On the sporting front, it’s confirmed. India will finish with more than 100 medals. You say a small prayer to the Gods for witnessing this moment in real-time and not via TV.  October 7<br /> On the day when India breaches the 100-medal mark, they win six more gold. Super Saturday with a couple of capital S’s. While there is a fight in the kabaddi, the badminton stars have created history. Cricket produces another gold while chess delivers late in the day. There is a plan to go out for dinner (rather than eat food in the Main Media Centre). But all the stories of the medals don’t write themselves, so the diary stays back till midnight. Just like every other day.October 8<br /> The first and only India-free day at the Games so diary goes sightseeing. But it is very under-prepared. One of the metro lines is shut so that plan goes out for a toss. Yet, inadvertently, diary lands up for a spectacular view from the other side of the city. A very pretty Hangzhou looks prettier, so the phone cameras work overtime. But it’s very clear I’m lost. Volunteers — shout out to Jack and Carol who put me in a taxi — again come to the rescue.   <br />