Dhyan Chand Stadium - by Uthra Ganesan
One of the oldest in the city, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium at India Gate underwent major changes for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which included new turfs on all three grounds and an overhaul of the facilities. The venue has routinely hosted major events since then, including the Junior World Cup, Olympic-qualifying events, and the Hockey India League. It has been a regular training venue for various national teams across the year. It is one of the few stadia in the city, which has round-the-year trainees under the come-and-play scheme. The venue is also let out for organisations to host their domestic tournaments. The facilities are in a good shape with routine cleaning and maintenance. On the flip side, the renovation of the ground meant doing away with an Olympic-size swimming pool and the two long-term residential academies that used to run from its premises – PNB academy and SAI-Air India Academy, which had produced several international players. The pool is now being revived and there are plans to restart a SAI Hockey Academy at the venue, which would help in keeping the turfs in shape.
Thyagraj Stadium - by Uthra Ganesan
Thyagraj Stadium, which is the first in the country to be certified 100 per cent green, was originally developed specifically for netball during the CWG. The only stadium to be rebuilt from the scratch for the CWG, the venue now accommodates the education department of the Delhi government and is the home ground for Dabang Delhi in the Pro Kabaddi League. Interestingly, while other competitions, including basketball and table tennis, are regularly held at the venue, netball doesn’t figure high on the list. The venue is regularly let out for non-sports events, including plays and exhibitions. While the actual playing area is well-maintained, other facilities, including washrooms, are in a sorry state since these have not been used much. The sports ground and the athletics track are also used by sportspersons from surrounding areas, but these need to be upgraded.
Siri Fort Stadium - by Rakesh Rao
This twin indoor stadium complex remains a grossly underused facility in the heart of South Delhi. The sprawling complex, home to the annual Indian Open Super Series badminton, is one of the better-planned infrastructures for badminton and squash, which was constructed ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Ironical as it may sound, the huge underground parking facility is considered more of a ‘security risk’ and not as convenience to spectators. Therefore, the parking is either closed or sparingly accessed by those armed with VIP stickers. Unless the DDA revises its long list of ‘formalities’, organisers will continue to stay away.
Talkatora Swimming Pool - by Rakesh Rao
Clearly, it is one of its kind air-conditioned aquatic facilities in the country. However, not a single international event or even a national championship has been held here since the Commonwealth Games. On the brighter side, individual users get to make use of a world-class pool. Unless the authorities bring down the rent to attract schools to hold competitions, the facility will remain underutilised. No doubt, the use of air-conditioned stadium comes at a cost, but efforts should be made to bring it within the reach of the end users, mainly institutions.
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - by Y. B. Sarangi
The iconic stadium, refurbished at a cost of Rs. 961 crore, hosted three disciplines – athletics, weightlifting and lawn bowls – apart from the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games. The weightlifting hall was constructed at a cost of Rs. 77.6 crore. After the Commonwealth Games, the main stadium has been used to hold various elite athletics meets apart from international football matches and Indian Super League fixtures. The outer track is used for the come and play scheme, while the open space inside the complex has been the venue for some top national archery competitions. The weightlifting hall has been occasionally used for national-level events of the sport. However, nobody has heard about lawn bowls after the Commonwealth Games.
Indira Gandhi Sports Complex - by Y. B. Sarangi
The arena was the venue for gymnastics, wrestling and cycling during the Commonwealth Games. The renovation of the existing structure and construction of a brand new cycling velodrome (Rs. 152.9 crore) and wrestling stadium (Rs. 100.7 crore) were done at a total cost of Rs. 669 crore. The arena has been hosting international wrestling and cycling competitions apart from the Indian Premier League Tennis. It has been a training base for national campers in women’s boxing and gymnastics. The Cycling Federation of India in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India and the International Cycling Union has initiated steps to set up an academy here.
R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium - by Kamesh Srinivasan
For about Rs. 70 crore that was spent on the upgrade of the tennis complex for the Commonwealth Games, not much was added except for show court no.1. However, in the heart of South Delhi, when permission was tough to get even for a small addition to the structure, a full-fledged residential complex with 50 spacious rooms was built. The tennis centre virtually serves as the sports hostel, as it houses most of the teams in national camps, primarily the men’s and the women’s hockey. There were schemes for training talented children, but they could not find the needy kids. A lot of steel and cement has taken away the charm of the picturesque setting, next to the Deer Park. Yet, it is a top class centre with all the facilities, including a swimming pool and gymnasium. It is another matter that tennis has become very costly for the common man.
Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range - by Kamesh Srinivasan
Restructured on a massive scale, the shooting range, in a natural setting on the hilly drive towards Surajkund, was too big for the Commonwealth Games. It is expected to host the World Cup in 2017. It is a world class range with electronic targets on all the firing points. Though welcome, the ‘pay and play’ scheme led to the malfunctioning of the targets. Manual targets should be kept for beginners, for you do not learn driving with a Mercedes or a F1 car. The Sports Authority of India spent about Rs. 7.5 crore recently to get the targets functional for the Asian Air Gun Championship. A residential complex was planned, but got shelved. Proper maintenance of the range will add more life to Indian shooting.
Other venues - by Y. B. Sarangi
Yamuna Sports Complex, which staged table tennis and archery during the Commonwealth Games, was redone at a cost of Rs. 210.86 crore. Training facilities for gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, swimming and archery were built at a cost of Rs. 36.7 crore. The venue has hosted elite archery and other competitions, and is open to the public, who can use certain facilities.
Chhatrasal Stadium (Rs. 98.98 crore), which is the second home to umpteen international medal winning wrestlers, was a training venue. It continues to be the most popular hub for wrestlers.
Delhi University Stadium, built at a cost of over Rs. 304 crore, hosted rugby-7s, and was meant for being the training venue for netball, boxing, athletics and wrestling. The less said about the use of these facilities (post Commonwealth Games), the better.
Games Village sports complex, which witnessed construction of training facilities for various sports at an expense of Rs. 253.4 crore, has been rarely used for local sporting events.
