The Indian team’s trip to Colombia for the World Athletics under-20 championships looks doubtful as tickets are unavailable.
The under-20 Worlds begin in Cali on August 1, but the 33-member team and nearly a dozen officials, including coaches, are waiting anxiously in New Delhi hoping that the situation would change.
“First there were visa issues. Three times they blocked the tickets and cancelled them due to visa issues. Only half the team got visas, but yesterday the Colombia Government said that the rest can travel and they would be issued on-arrival visas,” an Athletics Federation of India official told The Hindu from New Delhi on Friday night.
“Now the visa problem is over but we are not getting tickets because flights are full. The federation is trying here and there, we have not got a single ticket.”
And time is running out too.
“Even if we travel on Saturday (July 30), we will be reaching only on Aug 1 and we have mixed relay that day,” said the official.
The team includes star quartermilers Priya H. Mohan, Rupal and Summy, and the championships run till August 6.
