Sharmistha Gooptu in Paris
Last night, the entire RevSportz team reached Paris coming in from different destinations to converge at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport. A couple of us had left Kolkata on 21st to be in Dubai and had Dubai visas, hence we did not need to show our ENR (non-media rights holder) cards at Kolkata airport. The ENR card issued by the IOC is supposed to work like a visa, allowing the international accredited media to cover the Games. The very same card is to be validated at the Main Press Centre, and work as the media accreditation card through the duration of the Games.
The issues arose as we left Dubai and showed our ENR cards at the travel desks. At Dubai, we were luckier than some others – we were detained at the very end and that too not for too long, after we had done the check-in and security, but for some others it proved to be an ordeal. At Kolkata, Delhi and Abu Dhabi airports, colleagues were kept waiting for fair lengths of time as airline personnel seemed confused about what to do with these ENR cards meant for Olympic media.
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🚨 Important Update for the Paris-Bound Indian Media Contingent 🚨
The NRH media accreditation was supposed to act as the visa for Paris, but many are still facing issues as the Travel Desk is not accepting this card.
Stay tuned for more updates from @sharmisthagoop2.… pic.twitter.com/5PLai9JTAd
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) July 24, 2024
While everyone was finally allowed to travel, such episodes prove to be unnerving when one is setting out for a key assignment. However, we were among the first Indian media to leave for the Games and others will surely find it a smoother deal once airport and airline personnel are attuned to the various procedures.
Once we landed in Paris, again, things did not seem super organised, though we assume it’s going to all fall in place shortly. Volunteers were few and were not clear about the information that they were being asked to help with. While there was a lane for the Games media, it was not marked as such and not as effectively manned, with even non-media persons managing to squeeze into the lane.
The immigration officers were friendly enough though. They were ready for a joke and smiled at us through the gates. Everybody’s luggage came quickly and that was a blessing. However, once we stepped outside, we were informed that the desk for validating our ENR cards was closed for the day (it was still not 8 pm in the evening) and so we had to wait until the next morning to get the validation done at the Main Press Centre. And it meant that we were not able to use any media transport from the airport to our hotel.
However, the rest was easy and we checked into a cosy Lodge In Hotel about 45 minutes from the airport. As I write, seated in the breakfast area of our hotel, another colleague is doing a LIVE across from me in the seating area. We’re in Olympics mode and any niggles should be sorted quickly as Paris gets closer into the Games mode.