Indian athletes were left frustrated after the two-day Diljit Dosanjh Concert Dil-Luminati, which was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The convert, which was held over the weekend, saw the track covered in garbage. The concert was attended by close to 35,000 fans on each day.
Beant Singh, a former youth Asian gold medallist, took to Instagram to share how the stadium looked after the concert and complained, “This is where athletes train but here people had alcohol and partied. For this, the stadium was closed off until yesterday. Athletics equipment has been broken and thrown to the side.”
The garbage and debris in the stadium included rotten food, fluids, and alcohol bottles. Meanwhile, several parts of the track were soaked in liquid and stained.
ISL club Punjab FC host their home matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, and host Chennaiyin FC on November 1. Speaking to Sportstar, an individual associated with the ISL club said that hurdles used by sprinters were just dumped carelessly across rooms, and many are reportedly broken.
“There is some major patch work required, which is going on right now,” the individual said.
It is being reported that the concert organisers have hired the venue till November 1, and by then all garbage and debris will be cleared. Organisers for non-sporting events are allowed to rent out the stadium for ₹4,50,000-per day.
Beant also pointed out that many athletes have been unable to train, especially the ones who have their junior National C’ships coming up.
“Many of the athletes here have their junior National championships in 20-25 days but they have been unable to train in this time,” he said.
Speaking to Sportstar, one anonymous athlete said, “People only want to take pictures with athletes after they win medals but no one really cares about whether they get to train or not.”
Reportedly, the clean-up crew used hard brush bristled brooms to sweep the ground, which can cause more damage to the soft synthetic running track. Even cycle rickshaws carrying heavy loads were present over the track.
One athlete told Sportstar, “When you cross a track with heavy loads like this, you create indentations in the track. It damages the surface and makes it uneven. JLN stadium has had its track relaid recently but it is uncertain whether how competitions can be held here if the track gets damaged like this.”
