Diljit Dosanjh recent concert at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN) left behind a distressing scene for the country’s athletes. Designed to hold India’s top sports events, JLN is a precious training ground for budding young athletes across disciplines. However, after the concert of the singer on October 26-27, the stadium filled with beer bottles, large piles of garbage, food leftovers, and plastic. It was that extreme when athletes came to training, as conditions were close to not being able to breathe because of garbage scattered in every corner.
For more than 10 days, the first track could not be accessed due to the arrangements of the concerts and its waste. That meant athletes-to-be for the Junior National Championships had to practice on the less-equipped warm-up track. Many of them voiced disappointment as their rigorous training routines, essential to upcoming competitions, were severely disrupted. Their misfortune was compounded by broken locks, damaged athletics equipment, and hurdles tossed carelessly aside-an unsettling sight captured in a video by Hindustan Times recently.
This incident not only puts under question the maintenance and event management at sports venues but also puts under question respect of public spaces shared by all. Organizing such large concerts at primary sports venues without proper clean-up provisions might undermine efforts of the sportspersons who need these facilities. The fans enjoy the energy of live performances, but the organizers and the authorities have to ensure that after the event, they do not jeopardize the lives of India’s sports professionals.
The Sports Authority of India and the concert organisers have begun the clean up, but it means our waiting athletes are forced to watch in frustration for proper, normal training to get started again. In future it should be seen to, by the authorities who administer such events, to strengthen conditions which will ensure the sanctity of our sports infrastructure into someplace where athletics moves onward, not an unfortunate spectacle afterwards as seen in concerts.
