Six members of Bangladesh’s table tennis team and 14 members of the men’s kabaddi team remain stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok after flight disruptions linked to heavy flooding in and around the Thai capital.
The table tennis contingent’s ordeal began when their scheduled flight from Japan to Bangkok was delayed by almost 12 hours because of a typhoon. By the time they reached Bangkok, they had missed their onward flight to Bangladesh.
Since then, replacement departure schedules have appeared and passed without the group leaving the airport.
Five table tennis players and coach Mohsinul Alam Jhinu are among those stranded. The players are Ramhim Liam Bom, Imrul Kayes Emon, Sonam Sultana Soma, Nowrin Sultana Mahi and Samantha Hossain Tushi.
They were joined at the airport by 14 members of Bangladesh’s men’s kabaddi team, leaving the two contingents waiting near a boarding gate.
The disruption has affected Thai Airways flights to and from Bangkok following heavy flooding across parts of the capital. Reports cited in the supplied material said flooding had affected the ability of Thai Airways ground-handling staff to reach work, while baggage-cart problems also disrupted operations.
The table tennis players have not been provided with accommodation by the airline, according to the supplied information. They received food allowances on Saturday and Sunday but no further allowance had been provided since Sunday evening.
Bangladesh Olympic Association is now trying to arrange alternative flights to bring the stranded players and coach home, although there is no confirmed return time yet.
Two members of the table tennis delegation avoided the disruption after travelling on a different airline. Team manager and federation general secretary Saidul Haque Sadi and men’s player Muhtasin Ahmed Hridoy returned to Bangladesh on a Cathay Pacific flight.
The remaining table tennis players and coach, together with the 14-member kabaddi contingent, continue to wait at Suvarnabhumi Airport as the flight disruption keeps their return plans uncertain.
