The group of 10 boys and eight girls were headed to Uttar Pradesh for the tournament but reports state that the tickets for the journey were not booked, leading to the athletes travelling in poor conditions.
Alleged administrative lapses by the Odisha State Department of School and Mass Education forced at least 18 students from the state to travel sitting on the floor near the toilets in a train during their journey to Uttar Pradesh for the 69th National School Wrestling Championship. The video clip of their travel has now gone viral on social media, sparking outrage.
The group of 10 boys and eight girls were headed to Uttar Pradesh for the tournament but reports state that the tickets for the journey were not booked, leading to the athletes travelling in poor conditions.
Videos on social media show the young athletes were made to sit near the toilets in the severe winter cold. The young wrestlers were huddled on the floor in the 1200km-long journey. The video raised serious concerns over the safety, health and dignity of the athletes.
Return journey too in similar conditions
Reports state that the athletes were then forced to return in similarly inhumane conditions as the department responsible for booking tickets had allegedly not booked properly.
The students were also without any of their parents or guardians who were allegedly not allowed to accompany them during the journey. Department of School & Mass Education is yet to issue any official response on the matter that has also been politicised now.
Congress attacks ruling BJP
Congress leader in Odisha Navajyoti Patnaik targetted the BJP-led state government and said that the party makes tall claims on sports but does not plan anything.
The visuals of 18 young Odisha wrestlers being forced to sit near train toilets in biting cold are a national embarrassment. These athletes were travelling to Uttar Pradesh to represent our state in the national school wrestling championship.
This is the true face of the BJP… pic.twitter.com/unrzPn8uds
— Navajyoti Patnaik (@NavjyotiPatnaik) December 23, 2025
In his post on X, he wrote: “The visuals of 18 young Odisha wrestlers being forced to sit near train toilets in biting cold are a national embarrassment. These athletes were travelling to Uttar Pradesh to represent our state in the national school wrestling championship. This is the true face of the BJP government in Odisha: tall claims on sports promotion, zero planning on the ground. No confirmed tickets, no basic facilities, no respect for young talent. When sportspersons are treated with such apathy, how can we talk about building champions?”
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