How Diljit Dosanjh fans failed athletes

Middledistance runner Beant Singh arrived at his morning drills punctually as always on Monday However upon stepping onto the training ground he was greeted by a scene that could only be described as a train wreck of epic proportions leaving him utterly disheartenedCrestfallen Singh could think of nothing better than whipping out his phone to capture photos and videos eager to broadcast the spectacle of misery that awaited him and countless other athletes in a display of shared sufferingView this post on InstagramA post shared by Beant Singh beantbhinder_800mThe aftermath of popular singeractor Diljit Dosanjhs twoday concert at Delhirsquos Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was marred by widespread littering strewn with debris empty alcohol containers and damaged athletic equipment painting a stark picture of neglect following the eventThe JLN stadium after being cleaned up by SAI on Tuesday Pic SAIThe stadium hosted the DilLuminati concert on Saturday and Sunday attracting nearly 40000 enthusiastic fans each nightThis is where athletes train but here people had alcohol danced and partied Because of these kind of things the stadium will remain close for 1010 days The athletics equipment like the hurdles have been broken and thrown here and there sicrdquo Singh who had won silver and bronze in the 2014 and 2018 National Open Championships respectively wrote on Instagram on Monday This is the situation of sport sportspersons and stadium in Indiamedals do not come in the Olympics because there is no respect and support for sportspersons in this countryThe Sports Authority of India SAI stated that its contract with the concert organisers was unequivocal the stadium was to be returned in the lsquosame condition that it was handed over to themrsquoAlso ReadRohit to get mojo backWhen MidDay contacted SAI for a comment a source remarked ldquoThese things take time Earlier we had asked you to give us 24 hours The stadium is now entirely cleaned and fit to organise an ISL match toordquoNational medalist Prashant Singh emphasised that such a situation is a rare occurrence at Hyderabadrsquos Gachibowli Stadium where it often remains unaddressed for weeks He claimed that the track has also deteriorated due to the numerous events held at the stadiumGomti Thakur from Indian womens rugby team wrote Shame on you guys Please give respect and our place Pic ScreengrabInstagramA track and field athlete from Delhi who did not wish to be named told MidDay that several athletes including him have submitted requests to the SAI for compensation citing damage to their hurdles and storage boxes containing starting blocks as well as other equipment such as shot puts discs and medicine ballsldquoJo loss huya woh toh humara hi huya na Woh bharenge yeh Itrsquos us who had to incur the losses will they do anything Are we asking too much If you cannot safeguard our equipment why do you allow such concerts to take place We have been told that they will allow us to train only after Thursday Now tell me who is suffering the most Humare baare mein kaun hi sochta hai No one considers our needsrdquo he told MidDay over the phoneA Delhi athlete expressed frustration over public criticism of Indias lack of medals at big events highlighting the chaos left at JLN Stadium after Tuesdays events Pic ScreengrabInstagramThe 24yearold also noted that all athletes have been instructed to train on the outdoor track until October 31 However he added that its poor condition has disrupted their training schedules particularly with the National Junior Championships and national school events on the horizonThis is not the first instance of Delhirsquos JLN Stadium being left in disarray following public events attended by large crowds ldquoAb kya bole itne complaints kiye hum lagbagh roz karte hai lekin kuch badla nahi lagta nahi kuch badlega What can I say We have lodged so many complaints nearly every day but nothing has changed It doesnrsquot seem like anything will changerdquo he signed off