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What's the story?
Javier Ceppi, the tournament director of the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup that was held earlier this year in India, criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for organizing the ongoing India vs Sri Lanka test match in Delhi, at a time when pollution levels in the city are extremely high and dangerous.
In a tweet posted on Sunday, he stated that it is a fact that one should not host sporting contests in Delhi from Diwali to the end of February at the very minimum. He wrote that the authorities should think of the players' health and that while planning the U-17 World Cup, they had to prepare the schedule keeping in mind the situation in the national capital.
In case you didn't know
Delhi was one of the six venues for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and hosted India's group matches in the competition as well a couple of knockout games. However, as stated by Ceppi, the city did not host any match in the final stage as the organizers had kept in mind the extreme level of pollution at the time.
The heart of the matter
The question of air pollution and hosting matches in Delhi was raised once again during the second day of the India vs Sri Lanka test match that saw the away side hold up play due to the poor playing conditions in the 123rd over of the Indian innings.
The Lankan players were also wearing masks while fielding as play was halted for nearly 15 minutes as the players, staff and umpires discussed the situation.
What's next?
The poor air quality is expected to remain the same in the coming days but in most probability, it is unlikely that any serious action will be taken.
Author's take
Ceppi's statement is an extremely important one and given the situation in the city, the authorities should have planned in advance and hosted the match at another venue.
