Thai Olympic Team Stranded 8 Hours Over Flood-Blocked Luggage
Thai Olympic athletes heading to the Asian Games in Nagoya were stranded at the airport for eight hours when flooding prevented ground staff from loading their baggage and equipment onto the plane.
Thai boxers, golfers, and rugby players were stranded at the airport for over 8 hours before flying to the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya because airport staff could not load their baggage and equipment. Flooding prevented some ground crew from reaching the airport to handle luggage, causing baggage to be left behind and forcing the flight to Japan to be delayed indefinitely. Athletes faced the prospect of competing without their gear if the plane departed as originally scheduled.
In a social media post, Tanyavit Kuasint said: "There's a problem with the men's and women's rugby teams and other athletes heading to the Asian Games because the airline has no one to load our baggage and equipment onto the plane due to flooding preventing staff from coming to help. If we take off now, all of our team baggage will be left behind, so the airline announced an indefinite delay. The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 00:05, and at 06:40 we still haven't left with no set departure time. I understand the situation and can only hope the floodwaters recede quickly so staff can return to work and get everyone's baggage loaded."
Kuasint raised concerns about airline responsibility and communication with passengers, noting that travelers were left waiting without adequate updates. Commander Tanyavit Kuasint, coach of the Thai national rugby team, acknowledged the impact on the team's travel plans while understanding the circumstances caused by flooding. He expressed hope the situation would resolve quickly so ground staff could resume operations and handle passenger baggage normally.
Reports confirm that athletes waited approximately 8 hours before the flight finally departed.
