India’s Chess Olympiad Nightmare: Five Hours, No Rooms, No Answers | First Sports With Rupha Ramani

India’s Chess Olympiad campaign in Samarkand began with an unexpected setback as the defending champions were left waiting for hotel rooms for hours after arriving in Uzbekistan. With hosts Uzbekistan also featuring Javokhir Sindarov, who will face D Gukesh in the upcoming World Championship, the Olympiad already has plenty happening away from the chessboard. Rupha Ramani looks at India’s unusual welcome, the Uzbekistan backdrop and the Gukesh-Sindarov storyline.

Also on the show, Sanju Samson has opened up about the mental toll of constantly fighting for his place in India’s T20I team. Despite his World Cup success, Samson knows another young contender is waiting, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi making a strong case for a place at the top. Rupha Ramani looks at Samson’s selection battle, his comments on failure and the challenge of playing fearless cricket when every innings matters.

And Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage has risen to World No.1 at just 23, only for all five of his competition javelins to be damaged in transit. His 92.62m national record and three 90m-plus throws have made him one of the biggest names in athletics, with Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem among the athletes who inspired him. But just after winning another major title, all five of Pathirage’s competition javelins were damaged in transit. Rupha Ramani tells the story of his rapid rise and the bizarre setback before the Asian Games.

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India Chess Olympiad 2026 | Chess Olympiad Samarkand | India Chess Team | Gukesh Sindarov | D Gukesh | Javokhir Sindarov | Sanju Samson | Sanju Samson T20I | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rumesh Pathirage | Neeraj Chopra | Arshad Nadeem | Firstpost | Rupha Ramani | FirstSports | Firstpost

#chessolympiad #gukesh #sindarov #chess #sanjusamson #vaibhavsooryavanshi #rumeshpathirage #javelin #neerajchopra #sportsnews #rupharamani #firstpost

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