The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium track in New Delhi will be out of bounds for all athletes till November 15 due to ongoing renovation work, the Sports Authority of India said on Friday.
The issue emerged when some trainees of SAI’s ‘Come and Play’ scheme were denied entry into the stadium on Friday, leading to a small protest, which was later resolved amicably.
An SAI official explained, “Yes, some athletes were denied entry by security guards as the facility is closed for all until November 15 due to renovation work around the track.”
The Come and Play scheme is not managed by SAI, and athletes use the facility with their individual coaches, paying an annual fee of Rs 100.
“It’s just to encourage budding sportspersons. The trainees who came today were
unaware of the closure and staged a small protest. We contacted their coaches and explained the situation. They can use the facility after November 15.” An official order regarding this will be issued on Saturday.
Earlier this month, a controversy erupted at JLN Stadium after animal welfare activists claimed that officials barred the re-entry of stray dogs that had been living inside the complex. The dogs had been picked up a few days earlier.
Activists described the move as a violation of the Supreme Court order issued in August, which stipulated that no healthy stray dogs are to be relocated.
The strays were removed following two dog bite incidents during the 12th World Para Athletics Championships. Kenyan sprint coach Dennis Mwanzo and Japanese assistant coach Mieko Okumatsu were bitten on October 3 at the stadium’s warm-up track.
(With Inputs From PTI)
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