Last week's South Zone volleyball championships in the Garden City will surely remain etched in public memory for a long time. We are not talking of Karnataka men's stunning triumph here, but two incidents that happened off-court, rather courtside.

Firstly, the make-shift gallery for the five-day bash collapsed on the second day of the meet. Thankfully, none were injured in the incident at the Sri Durga Parameshwari grounds. That should have woken the organisers out of their slumber, especially when the lives of the hundreds of people are at stake.

Unmindful of that incident, the volleyball lovers continued to throng the venue in large numbers. Unfortunately, safety norms were given the go by, or so it seems by the JP Nagar Sports Club, the organisers of the championships. For, the temporary stands collapsed a second time around on the final day on Sunday, injuring twelve people this time.

Immediate help

Though the injured were provided immediate medical help – the organisers bearing the expenses – there are a plethora of questions that needs to be answered, and immediately, if we're to avoid such incidents in the future.
How safe are the temporary galleries? Shouldn't the authorities concerned issue a fitness certificate after inspection? Also, isn't it time to move the game indoors, at least taking into account the safety aspect of the paying public?

Lack of crowds

The organisers may argue about lack of crowds at most indoor venues in the cities. The only way to popularise the sport is to take it to the rural areas is their argument. Though JP Nagar may not exactly come under the definition 'rural', the popularity at residential venues in the City is phenomenal.

"What happened there was unfortunate," said K Nandakumar, secretary, Karnataka Volleyball Association. "By god's grace, nothing serious happened," he added. "Other than that, the tournament was a huge success. The players were playing to a full house almost every other day. It would not have been so if the meet was held at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor stadium," he observed.

"After the first incident on Thursday, we did check the gallery and strengthened at a few places," noted JP Nagar Sports Club president Arun Kumar. "The unseasonal rains and over-crowding of the stands may have been the cause," he added.

There have been unsavoury incidents of gallery collapses in the past. Nearly a decade ago, the stands caved in like a pack of cards at Vadakara during the National League volleyball. At Nagercoil in 1968, in an all-India meet, the stands collapsed. Fortunately, there were no major injuries at both places.

The key now is to look at the safety norms when temporary stands are erected. "The stands at the Durga Parameshwari grounds were not put up by professionals, there were a few irregularities," said an official on conditions of anonymity.

"We have had galleries erected at many places -- Vijayanagar, Hoodi, Sullia, Sea College, Davanagere -- but this was the first time in my association with volleyball such a thing (collapse) has happened," Nandakumar explained.

Outdoor sport

Volleyball is still predominantly an outdoor sport in the country and the sports facilities in major cities continue to host events other than the purpose they were built for.

It would make sense if indoor stadiums are built in rural areas and pockets where the volleyball is more popular than in big cities. By doing so, the powers-that-be will not only be taking the game to the grassroots and popularising it, but also making it safer for the fans.