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Garlands and 'tilak' welcome guests to Vizag
 Visakhapatnam,
India, August 4, 2005 - A warm and traditional Indian
welcome awaits players and officials for the FIVB Men's U21
World Championship.
As they emerge from the small, pictureseque airport on the
outskirts of this steel city on the Bay of Bengal, local
girls greet the visitors with garlands and place a red "tilak"
mark down the forehead. After a long journey to India and
then the connecting flight, the welcome certainly makes
everyone feel instantly at home.
As the countdown continues to the August 6-14 championship,
the Thursday edition of The Hindu national newspaper
reported on the arrival of the American team in the news and
sports pages. On Page 3, an article headlined "US team
welcomed to city" is accompanied by a photograph of the
players toasting the occasion with a sip of coconut milk.
The team, it says, was expected to reach Vizag - as the town
is referred to - on Monday, but was forced to spend a couple
of days in Hyderabad due to the disruption in flight
schedules caused by the floods in Mumbai (formerly Bombay).
"The young players of the US Volleyball team seem to be a
happy lot as they moved into Hotel Green Park on Wednesday
afternoon," said the report. "The tender coconut water,
offered to them on arrival, made them more
playful as they offered 'cheers' to each other."
The Americans were keen to get down to business, though, and,
shortly after checking in, boarded a bus to the Ukku Stadium
for a practice session.
In the Sports Pages it was reported that the Indian team,
coached by Chander Singh, was training hard every day, as
every team would be a tough opponent at this level.
As of Thursday lunchtime, only two teams were in Vizag - USA
and India - and five more were on their way from the
transport hub of Mumbai.
All teams are expected to arrive by Thursday night, so
practice sessions will be at a premium before the Saturday
start.
On Friday, the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, and the
Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, will participate in
the official opening ceremony. |
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