It is not just Chennai where Cyclone Michaung has made a significant impact, but the coastal town of Vijayawada is going through troubled times as well. Now, as many as 200 young Indian table tennis players are stuck in the city, which has come to a standstill due to the cyclone. They were present in the city for the age group National Ranking tournament, which concluded on Monday.
A Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) official told PTI on Tuesday that the players were stuck along with their families. The Vijayawada National Ranking event was the second-last round of the five zonal tournaments, which will conclude with the Panchkula leg scheduled from December 8.
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Cyclone Michaung Disrupts Last Leg of National Ranking Tournament
This now means that the players do not have enough time to reach the next destination. ”We are booked on the Tamil Nadu Express to New Delhi from where we will go to Panchkula,” a player’s father said. ”As of now, there’s no update from the Railways. The scheduled time (of departure) here is 4 am but we doubt the train will start from Chennai tonight,” he said.
While ranking points are at stake, there’s hardly anything the players and their families can do. ”There is waterlogging everywhere and it’s been raining incessantly for two-and-a-half days now. It’s very difficult to move out. Flights too stand cancelled. Moreover, it’s difficult to afford flight tickets,” the player’s father added.
Meanwhile, former India player and coach Poulami Ghatak managed to leave the city in time. ”Fortunately, we got hold of my friend’s car and we left early in the morning for Hyderabad. There was severe waterlogging and we were fortunate to come out and reach in the afternoon,” Poulami, the seven-time national champion, said.
”I just pray that everyone manages to come out of the place and reach Panchkula in time.’
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