Lal Bahadur Stadium, which has produced talents like P Gopichand, Jwala Gutta, Saina Nehwal, and Parupalli Kashyap, and where Sachin Tendulkar scored a cracking 186 against New Zealand in the one-day international played in 1999, now gives sportspersons a shoddy deal when it comes to basic amenities. Once meant for sporting activities alone, LB Stadium is now being used by political parties and organisations to conduct programmes.
“The stadium used to be a place to prepare sportsmen for national and international tournaments. The indoor stadium has produced more than 30 international players. Now, however, the stadium is often closed for training owing to the political programmes conducted within the premises. As a result, training — a necessity for those who want to excel — has taken a hit. Taking the issue to the authorities won’t help. The decision needs to come from the government. Alas, the ones at the top of the bureaucracy aren’t truly aware of what’s happening at the ground level,” said Syed Mohammed Arif, badminton coach and a recipient of Dronacharya Award and Padma Shri Award.
The ground is currently in abysmal shape — the running track is hard as a concrete surface and the ground has hardly any grass, and that puts sportspersons to the risk of injuries. The stadium — built to cater to the needs of sportspersons from around the country — is now being rented out for weddings, concerts, exhibitions, political functions, and several other types of events, leaving athletes no space to hone their skills.
“LB Stadium happens to be one of the oldest stadiums. It’s where international matches were conducted before Uppal stadium was built. The problem that the stadium is facing today is the lack of maintenance as a result of which, even its floodlight tower collapsed. Half the stadium is occupied by car accessories’ retailers, who unfortunately dump their waste inside the stadium itself. Additionally, people erect all kinds of stages and set up massive structures on the ground, which it isn’t exactly meant for,” said Rupesh Kumar Dubey, National Powerlifter.
Stadium authorities need to take action immediately, or sports activities are going to continue taking a hit. “The stadium is occupied pretty much 15 days every month, so sportspersons cannot even consider training there anymore. The stadium was used to store EVMs after elections due to which, no sportsperson had access for around 45 days. That apart, leaders have chosen the stadium to conduct their Iftaar parties too now! I approached the sports minister with the issue, and he said he would look into it but I don’t think anyone ever did. The lawn tennis court, which cost crores of money, is in a detestable state,” said G. Shakar Yadav, BJP Floor leader, GHMC.
The stadium is in dilapidated condition. “Sports trainees pay a monthly fee to practice in the stadium. This fee is supposed to be utilised for maintenance. However, it is evident from the stinking toilets and other facilities that the authorities don’t give a care,” Rupesh argued.
Stadium officials, however, insisted that they had been issued a government order directing them to conduct public events. “The stadium is absolutely fine. We did give the stadium out for the Iftaar parties for about three days, but that was all. We’ve been issued an official government order directing us to allow government programmes to be conducted in the stadium as and when required, and sporting activities will inevitably have to be put on a break in such situations,” said A. Dinakar Babu, the Sports Authority of Telangana State Vice-chairman and Managing Director.
