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What's the story?
Ace Indian athlete, Anju Bobby George has yet again expressed her displeasure over the allocation of the major athletics stadiums in the country to the ISL officials for hosting the football encounters right throughout the league.
The bronze medallist at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics that was contested in Paris, spoke on behalf of all the athletes who have had to sacrifice their training ground for the sake of the Indian Super League matches from the last few years.
"Athletics is basically about track and field events. not just tracks. These tournaments go on for seven-eight months, and throughout the country, the athletes are not able to train at these facilities. All the major stadiums like Kanteerava (Bengaluru), Pune (Balewadi), Kolkata (Salt Lake Stadium), Delhi (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium), they are all occupied," she told Sportskeeda.
In case you didn't know
An Asian Games gold medallist, Anju is one of India's most decorated athletes for her exploits in the sport of long jump. The 2005 Asian Championships gold medallist has also been closely associated with various sports bodies post her retirement and as the chairperson of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), she has represented the athletic body of the country.
The heart of the matter
As is the case with many stadiums, the need to host the Indian Super League matches in major cities has rid the athletes of training facilities and practice as well, which was sternly voiced out by Anju.
Apart from stating the facts, Anju also raised the issue of not receiving any response to their previous pleas. She was quipped saying, "We don't have many stadiums, right? We have only a few of them, and all the major stadiums in the big cities have gone to the ISL. We have already taken the fight to the court.There's no space in these big stadiums and they are pushing the competitions to the villages or smaller towns, wherever they have open grounds"
She also added: "Even the trials for major championships are taking place in open stadiums. So we are fighting for microseconds and milliseconds here," shedding light on the issue at hand.
Apart from the loss in terms of infrastructure, she mentioned "We do not have much money in athletics. So where will these athletes go? There are a very few stadiums where we can conduct championships, or where athletes can train," emphasizing on the economic aspects as well.
However, in the end, she also added "We are not against football or any sport. We are for all sports. But our athletes are having to fight every day for training. So somebody should come up," hoping for a change in fortunes in the near future.
What's next?
Anju Bobby George is an executive of the Khelo India project launched by the Government of India and will continue with her contributions to the development of sports in India.
Author's take
The athletes' predicaments have only risen exponentially over the past few years with the training facilities being allotted to the ISL franchises in order to host their matches. With the season set to conclude in March later this year, one could expect a potential solution to be drawn soon.
