Over the past few months, athletes and coaches at the Delhi government-run Tamra Stadium have been complaining about being forced to wrap training earlier than usual, by 7 pm. The reason, according to them, is this:Delhi's Principal Secretary (Revenue) Sanjeev Khirwar walks his dog at the facility about half-an-hour later.
"We used to train till 8-8.30 pm under the lights earlier. But now, we are asked to leave the ground by 7 pm so that the officer can walk his dog on the ground. Our training and practice routine has been disrupted,"said coach.
When contacted, Hiram, a 1994-Perfezas officer, described the allegation as "absolutely incorrect". He accepted that he "sometimes" takes his pet for a walk at the facility, but denied that it disrupted the practice routine of athletes.
The Indian Express visited the stadium on three evenings over the past seven days and saw the guards of the stadium walking towards the track at around 6.30 pm, blowing whistles and ensuring that the arena was cleared by 7 pm.
Stadium administrator Amit Chaudhary told The Indian Express that the official timing in the evening is 4-6 pm, but "S the heat" they allow athletes to train until 7 pm. Chaudhary, however, did not share any official order specifying the timing. He said he wasn't aware of any government officials using the facilities after 7 pm.
"We have to be close by 7 pm. You can find the government office timings anywhere. This stadium is also a government office under the Delhi government. I am not aware of any such thing (an official use of the facilities to walk his dog). I left the stadium by 7 pm, and I am not aware,"Chaudhary said.
On Tuesday, The Indian Express saw Khirwar reach the stadium with his dog after 7.30 pm. The pet could be seen roaming around the track and football field, even as security guards kept watching.
Khirwar said:"I would never ask an athlete to leave the stadium that belongs to them. Even if I visit, I go after the stadium is supposed to close We don't leave him (the pet) on the track when no one is around we leave him but never at the cost of any athlete. If it's something objectionable, I will stop it."
The parents of a trainee athlete described the situation as "unacceptable"." My child's practice is disrupted. Even if they say they use the facilities late at night, can you justify using a state pattern stadium to walk your dog? This is a gross misuse of power,"said the parent.
The parents, coaches and athletes spoke to The Indian Express on condition of anonymity.
The coaches and athletes say they have to train earlier in the heat, since practice has to be wrapped up early. "Furthermore, we continued training till 8.30 pm and sometimes even 9 pm, but now we have no option. Earlier, I took water breaks once every half an hour. Now I need to drink every five minutes,"said a junior athlete.
Several athletes said they have shifted their training to the Sports Authority of India's River, just 3 km away, where floodlights are on after 7.30 pm. "Children train here till 8.30 pm under the lights. Now, during the summer break, we run out of space in the practice area since the main stadium track is still under renovation,"said a coach at JLPT stadium.
You must be logged in to post a comment.