The badminton tournament began yesterday at Cuttack's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
Scammed by a cab driver in New Delhi and a four-hour wait at a hotel in Odisha - former badminton world champion Nozomi Okuhara's has shed light on her ordeal in India after she arrived in the country for the Odisha Open Badminton Super 100 tournament.
Following an incident at Delhi's IGI airport where a stranger allegedly attempted to load her luggage onto a trolley without her consent, the Japanese shuttler recounted being allegedly scammed by a private taxi driver who charged her ten times the customary rate charged by Uber even though her hotel was just a ten-minute ride away.
Ms Okuhara wrote in her Instagram stories that the agreed-upon price for the taxi ride was Rs 1,344 (approximately 2400 yen) - already an inflated amount, however, upon reaching her destination, the driver allegedly demanded an additional Rs 1,890 in toll fees.
In Odisha's Cuttack, where the badminton tournament is being held, four grueling hours in a hotel lobby, waiting for her booking to be confirmed, culminated in a desperate scramble for a ride to her 8 am practice session.
After reaching her designated hotel, Ms Okuhara alleges that she was told no rooms were available for immediate occupancy. A representative from the Indian Badminton Association emerged. But instead of providing much-needed assistance, the representative allegedly surprised Okuhara with an unexpected and bizarre request: a selfie. The Japanese badminton player had to politely turn down the request as there were more pressing matters at hand.
With no shuttle service available, she was forced to rely on the kindness of Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy.
"The full story of harsh travel in India. I was prepared for it, but due to a series of problems, it was a physically and mentally demanding journey. I think I can survive somehow with the help of PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy! Well, it was the worst itinerary ever," read a story on Ms Okuhara's official Instagram profile.
The prestigious international badminton tournament began yesterday at Cuttack's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and will continue till December 17.