ICPC Kolkata takes Rs3500/- as fees but is providing super terrible accomodation and food. They provided bare minimum food, hardly gave a fuck about the participants’ needs. First of all, they are keeping all teams in a classroom with mattress on floor in such cold times. Other regionals like KGP and Gwalior at least gives each team a single room. The rooms are filled with mosquitoes the entire night and above all has only a single plug point in one end of the room. Don’t get me started on the bathrooms. They have literally the worst kind of bathrooms. Imagine western toilets with no jets or tissue! No alternative of Indian toilets. How is one supposed to washup. Also no proper bathrooms to shower or take bath. Such is the conditions of the accomodation of the most “prestigious” coding event in the country. Many participants had to hold their excreta for two days due to such pathetic washroom conditions.
Now lets start on the food. The so called contest dinner is much much worse than the normal lunch and dinner for other regionals. The other lunches and dinners were so third grade that most teams didn’t eat. Imagine getting only biscuits for breakfast. The lunch after the contest was a packet lunch with only sandwich and a cake. The director said at 3 o clock after the contest you wouldn’t be hungry so we are are providing only this. Such logic! Like after breakfast at 8 and a five hour contest one wouldn’t be hungry!
I wonder how these sites get approved to host the regionals. There should be a bare minimum criteria of accomodation conditions to be able to host the regionals apart from computers. Also there shouldn’t be such contrast in living and fooding levels across the regionals. Only sites that are able to provide above a threshold of living conditions should be allowed. After all and event “sponsored by Codechef” and a qualifier to World Finals should have some standard and not treat participants as lower class students. I really hope transperancy is brought upon selection criteria of regional sites and the fees for them and from next time GNIT, Kolkata shouldn’t have the oppurtunity to host the regionals.
I had a special post to share experiences here but no one replied…
Though thanks for sharing it…
with all these sharing of experiences…
Hopefully we will be able to select a good regional next year
Talking about my site (PUNE)
Though they don’t reply much in mail, The actual site was good and cooperative…
We enjoyed being there for two days…
They actually came to railway station( of pune(35 kms from iiit pune)) with buses to pick up all the teams from there…
Lunch and breakfast was not best but good…
At least I was satisfied with my regional
Other than this I think the washrooms were totally pathetic, western seats with no seat covers, Indian seats with no mugs [ You gotta feel me there bro. ].
Although there are some +ves about the site too, I think people were very kind and helping in general and the food only after ICPC started was awesome.
(I reached a day before and food at IIT KGP (BR HALL) was devastating).
Our Team participated in 2 regionals- Gwalior Site and Kanpur Site. As far as accommodation is concerned both sites had good accommodation facilities. Specially Kanpur site, The rooms were almost like hotel rooms and our one had a balcony too :D. Food was fine. It was a great experience overall. Kolkata site last year also had the same issues(came to know this from my seniors). I think some minimal standards must be maintained when you are hosting such a prestigious event. Hopefully, the organizers take care of this next time.
I guess we got all feedbacks now… except amritapuri… let’s wait for them… Hopefully @vijju123 will share his experience of amritapuri
Or someone else XD
AFAIK Amritapuri is the best regional site so far in terms of these. Last (or last-to-last) time they also gave contestants a excrusion of respective cities for Rs 500 per head.
We were repeatedly denied extra food (especially during contest lunch and contest breakfast), which was extremely unpleasant. Don’t even get me started about the lab facilities, they cramped the teams together due to insufficient space, didn’t have proper printers, didn’t provide Codechef tshirts on time. My experience at Pune Regionals was not even close to good.
Uh, in those conditions if you weren’t with 10%+ probability to qualify for WF, i doubt its a good choice to even compete. Better if you spend that time solving something or learning from home IMO…
1)Codechef t-shirts thing will be on codechef… I don’t think Regional can do anything about it…
2)I got food repeatedly in lunch… idk how you didn’t got it…
In breakfast, that quantity was enough for me so I didn’t tried asking for it again…
3) Yes agree that printers were little weak but I didn’t face any issue to read it during contest… space was quite manageable…
Totally agreed on kolkata being the worst site in terms of hosting the contest.I know for a fact that codechef has nothing to do with it, but yes GNIT completely ruined the entire Fun,excitement of the contest.
AFAIK, there were 3 labs in Pune. We got 1st floor Lab 2 for practice session, and that had a lot of space. The lab we got for the contest had less space though (1st floor Lab 3 I guess). It was manageable, but not ideal.
This is what you said:- “After all and event “sponsored by Codechef” and a qualifier to World Finals should have some standard and not treat participants as lower class students.” I do not understand whom do you refer as lower class students. No one should be treated like that as you have mentioned. I do not understand how you can justify that treatment with any student either lower class or upper class.
The Kanpur site provided separate rooms for each team!
GNIT COMPLETELY RUINED IT!
THEY EVEN DIDNT GAVE AN EXTRA CHAPATI WHEN ASKED FOR!
HOW CAN YOU EVEN ASK THE CONTESTANTS WHO PAID RS 3500 TO ADJUST IN A CLASSROOM FULL OF MOSQUITOES IN SUCH COLD!!!
THIS DOESNT SUIT THE STANDARDS OF ACM ICPC!!!
I first went to Kolkata then to Coimbatore region. Those who got these 2 regions can understand how heavenly the transformation was! At first site we were in hell and at other,the scenario was totally different. I would also like to appreciate the way Coimbatore site pampered each of the contestants there . The environment was also fresh and healthy.
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