Sree Kanteerava Stadium's worn-out athletics track leaves athletes worried

Bengaluru: The athletics track at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru looks in a dire strait with the city’s iconic venue hosting the four-day Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships, which began on Tuesday.

The synthetic track, which was relaid in 2022 at a cost of Rs 5 crore, now demands a complete overhaul, with the second layer -- black SBR rubber -- visible in multiple patches.

Speaking to DH on the condition of anonymity, several para-athletes, including international competitors, expressed their displeasure at the condition of the track, saying it impacted their chances to qualify for the Asian Para Games in Japan later this year.

The ongoing tournament, which is hosting all the elite names of Indian para athletics and foreign athletes, serves as the final trials for the Para Asiad, which takes place in Aichi-Nagoya right after the able-bodied Asiad.

Adding to the worries, the same venue will host the State Senior Championships, which was postponed by a week to June 4-5. All the big Karnataka track and field athletes are set to compete in the event as the top three from each event will make the cut for the National Inter-State Competition in Bhubaneswar from June 24 to 28, the final trials for the Asian Games.

DH also reached out to the organisers, Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA) for clarification on the matter. While PCI officials refused to comment, a KAA official said it has been urging the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports to replace the track at the earliest.

The state body also claimed it wrote a letter to the DYES commissioner six months ago in this regard but no action has been taken. 

KAA also worries that the Athletics Federation of India may not allot any domestic event to the venue for the next season with its spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla earlier informing the media that World Athletics have flagged the sub-standard quality of track all over the country, fearing that 90% of the tracks require replacement.

Kanteerava Stadium, for that matter, failed to land any of the multi-day national events this season, which went to cities like Ranchi and Bhubaneswar instead. The venue hosted the Indian Athletics Series 1 last April while Tumkaru and Anju Bobby George Foundation in Kengeri were also granted events.

However, the other two venues are unlikely to get any multi-day events as they lack a practice track and is only available at the Kanteerava.