The organisers fear that the equipment ordered for events such as wrestling, canoeing, gymnastics and boxing, among others, will reach India only after the Games begin on January 31 and are making a last-ditch effort to rent them either from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) or respective national federations.
To add to their woes, reports have surfaced that the hockey turf at the stadium in Kollam has been damaged by mice, though the claims have been rubbished by the organising committee members. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has called for a crisis-meeting on January 15 and 16 in Kerala and after taking a stock of the situation, they will decide whether the Games can take place as scheduled or not.
The Kerala government has spent more than Rs 600 crore, including Rs 450 crore on infrastructure, for the Games, which have been postponed repeatedly.
The hockey turf, which cost approximately Rs 3 crore, was lying unattended for more than five months at the New Hockey Stadium and the installation work began only on Wednesday. However, when the local hockey association members inspected the venue, they reportedly found a section of the turf damaged.
N Mohana Kumar, the chief engineer of the National Games who is responsible for setting up of the infrastructure and its maintenance, dismissed the claims. “The hockey turf is synthetic material, it cannot be damaged by rodents. The cylinder-shaped paper sheets which were used to cover the turf have been bitten by the rats, but the turf is 100 percent intact,” Kumar said.
There are, however, concerns over the usability of the surface. Hockey India president Narinder Batra said he had seen pictures where people were seen walking on the ground after the levelling was done, which can make the turf uneven. “Ideally, one shouldn’t be stepping on the turf after the levelling is done. It can get dangerous for the players. Moreover, there won’t be time to test the venue as the turf will be laid very close to the event,” he said.
Hockey isn’t the only venue which is giving the organisers a headache. According to sources, nine out of the 29 venues are yet to be completed while equipment for sports such as canoeing, boxing and wrestling are still not in place. Diving boards have still not been acquired for the aquatic complex in Pirappancode, Trivandrum, whereas the Corporation Stadium in Thrissur, which will host the women’s football matches, too is far from complete.
“Two-third of the venues are ready for inauguration. As far as equipment go, the companies went on holiday because of Christmas and New Year, so we haven’t been able to procure it on time. It is possible that we might get them only after the Games begin. So we cannot wait for it,” Kumar said. “Seventy five percent equipment is already here though. The rest, we will arrange from SAI. It won’t be a problem.”
In its meeting on December 19, the IOA pointedly asked the organising committee if they were in a position to conduct the Games on time. They replied in the affirmative but were pressed on the issue of procuring pending equipment by the IOA committee. IOA joint secretary Rakesh Gupta said they were ‘hopeful’ the infrastructure will be in place in time for the Games.
“We asked the organising committee about these issues in our meeting last month. The organisers said they would air-lift the equipment or would tie-up with the federations or SAI and rent them for the duration of the Games,” Gupta, who is a member of the IOA’s organising committee for the National Games, said. The 15-day event is expected to be attended by a total of 11,641 participants, including 7,744 athletes and will be held across seven districts in Kerala. Crisis Games The 35th National Games, to be hosted by Kerala, has been rescheduled thrice.
It was originally scheduled for December 2012 but was then postponed to 2013. It was then decided that the Games would be hosted in February 2014. Finally, it was announced that the Games would be held from January 31 to February 14, 2015. Equipment for various sporting events such as wrestling, canoeing, gymnastics and boxing are still to be in place. With the organising committee delaying in procuring them, there is concern the Games may be postponed again.
The organising committee is now planning to rent equipment from SAI and other national federations. The IOA has convened an emergency meeting on January 15 and 16 to take stock of the situation and take a final call on the Games schedule. The Kerala government has spent more than Rs 600 crore, including Rs 450 crore on infrastructure, for the Games.
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