Listen to Story Australia's women's football team has arrived in Paris without some of their luggage, including crucial medical supplies, which are currently stuck in Spain, according to team chief Anna Meares on Sunday. With their first group match against Germany in Marseille just four days away, the team is now scrambling to replace some of the missing equipment locally before the rest of their luggage can be shipped to France. Meares said that the luggage is currently in Spain, and they're working with Football Australia to resolve the matter.
The team chief said that the squad are still able to train and prepare as the training kit is with them but some of the personal stuff and medical equipment are yet to arrive. "It is still currently in Spain and we are working with Football Australia to resolve this issue," Meares told a press conference. "They are still able to train and prepare, and they have their training and playing kit with them.
But there are some items of personal luggage, some medical items and other equipment that is still on the ground in Spain." Team officials are already working to procure essential items such as tape strapping, scissors, and resuscitation kits in Marseille. Meares said that the equipment was supposed to be on several flights on Saturday in a bid to reach Paris, but things haven't panned out in that fashion.
She is hoping that some progress would be made on Sunday, July 21. "This luggage was meant to be on several flights yesterday (Saturday) but it did not happen. It's not ideal, but hopefully today we can make some progress and have some of the personal items and medical equipment purchased in Marseille as necessary," she said.
This is not the first luggage-related issue for Team Australia ahead of the Paris Games, set to begin on July 26. Earlier in July, a container ship carrying all of Team Australia's uniforms collided with another ship near Gibraltar..
