It took more than 46 hours and hundreds of labourers and officials to get the athletic track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium fit for competition.
It took more than 46 hours and hundreds of labourers and officials to get the athletic track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium fit for competition.
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| A worker repairs the track
at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium yesterday. Pic/AFP |
The track, where heats for various events took place yesterday, was in shambles after a portion of it had been ripped apart during the grand opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. The participants, who began trickling in to gauge the venue of their events, were in for a rude shock. Wales Olympic gold medal winner Jonathan Edwards in fact, went on record to say that the venue will not be ready on time.
"I've seen a couple of athletes come in and they must be shocked to come to a major championship the day before it is due to start. It's not what they expect," he was quoted as saying.
An International Amateur Athletics Federation official was sure that the events would not take place as per schedule. "What I saw today was incredible. I saw the track after the opening ceremony and I told myself, 'no way.' But the organisers have done a commendable job," he said.
However, deputy director of competition, Dr Kirpal Singh, informed MiD DAY that the track really took a beating, especially the area near the 1500m mark. "It was a very bad patch. But we were confident of pulling the repairs off in time. The workers toiled day and night to get it done," he said.
