Hoopsters down with food poisoning

'I have not been able to walk for the last couple of days. I have spent more time in the toilet than I have in my bed. It’s infuriating to come so far and not be able to show your talent at the national level,' Tamil Nadu player said.

[Representational Image]

Credit: DH Photo/ Mariya S Mattathil

Poor hygiene standards at the 73rd Senior National basketball championship in Ludhiana forced at least three players out of the competition due to food poisoning. 

While hygiene is typically low on the priority list at most basketball events in the country, Indian basketball player Joginder Singh Saharan claimed to have caught the unhealthy ways to prepare food on video on Wednesday. 

The short clip, purportedly from a temporary kitchen set up at the event, shows a man squatted on the floor applying jam and butter onto slices of bread with his bare hands during breakfast.   

When asked about the incident, Joginder said: “I don’t know how they expect athletes to eat that food. I’m sure most people ate it because they didn’t see this man doing that, but I saw it. It was disgusting and this should not happen.”

Joginder also revealed that when he told the man that he should use a ladle or a spoon, the athlete was ushered away by the catering team.

“They said they didn’t have spoons so the man was doing it with his hands. It’s not like he had gloves on. He didn’t even bother washing his hands when he got behind the counter to do this,” he said. 

While this particular incident may not directly be the cause, it’s safe to assume that general indifference to hygiene during the competition has led to a couple of Tamil Nadu players and a player from Karnataka in bad health due to food poisoning. 

“I didn’t eat the breakfast, but I did have lunch and dinner the previous night and I have not been able to hold anything down since then,” said the player from Karnataka. “I didn’t want to bring it up with the administration because it isn’t their fault but the food and the cleanliness in general is really bad.

“We’re used to this kind of treatment, but spoiled food or dirty food is not something we can overcome,” he added. 

Over 64 teams from across the country are participating in the tournament, and the Basketball Federation of India’s new regime had maintained in the lead-up that they have looked into every aspect of the tournament. 

Aadhav Arjun, the BFI president, and Punjab Basketball Association secretary Teja Singh were not available for comment, but a source in the parent association claimed that they were aware of the video and they would do what they could to ensure that athletes got quality food going forward. 

For rookies attempting to gain recognition, is not an ideal situation.   

“I was pushing to get noticed and get signed up by Railways or a bank team,” said a player from Tamil Nadu. “But I have not been able to walk for the last couple of days. I have spent more time in the toilet than I have in my bed. It’s infuriating to come so far and not be able to show your talent at the national level.”