2 Indian wrestlers stranded at airport on way to Olympic qualifier

The duo, accompanied by Russian coach Kamal Malikov and physio Shubham Gupta, has been forced to sleep on the floor and has no access to proper food due to the rain-induced crisis.

Deepak Punia and Sujeet Kalakal's chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics hit a roadblock as the two Kyrgyzstan-bound Indian wrestlers were left stranded at the Dubai international airport due to unprecedented rains in the gulf nation.

Deepak (86kg), who had come close to winning a medal at the Tokyo Games, and Sujeet (65kg), were on their way to Bishkek to participate in the Asia Olympic qualfiers, the second-last qualifying event for Paris Olympics, beginning on Friday.

However, the duo was left stranded at the Dubai airport after the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the nation left major highways and roads flooded and one of the world's busiest airports in a disarray.

The duo, accompanied by Russian coach Kamal Malikov and physio Shubham Gupta, has been forced to sleep on the floor and has no access to proper food due to the rain-induced crisis.