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Lost objective

After seeing the damage inflicted on the Sree Kanteerava Stadium last week, athletes tell the State Government not to allow non-sporting events at the venue

PHOTO: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.

DAMAGE The aftermath of the recent violence at Sree Kanteerva Stadium

The so-called multipurpose Sree Kanteerava Stadium complex has often been used for activities other than sports. The constant plea of the sports associations and the athletes is not to allow the use of stadium for other events, like star nights, music shows, automobile and consumer fairs besides political rallies. The pleas have always fallen on deaf ears. The stadium administrators, faced with inadequate financial support from the Government, struggle to maintain the sporting facilities and end up raising funds through commercial activities.

Such ventures have always been fraught with huge risks and what happened on April 14 sent shock waves among the sporting community in the city. Following the demise of Dr. Rajkumar, the Kannada cine icon, the State Government decided that his body would be kept at the stadium on April 14 for public viewing. But the arrangements went haywire as there was no proper security. There was utter chaos and virtual mayhem at the stadium as fans, who failed to get a proper glimpse of their late idol, ran amok. The police resorted to lathi charge and lobbed tear gas shells. The stadium became a battle zone. Chairs were ripped off from the stands and were used as shields by the fans who had a running battle with the police. They torched the jumping pits and smashed glass façade at the entrance and also in the nearby sports hostel complex.

The running track, which was already in poor shape, took another beating as pitched battles were fought between the mob and police. When the situation was finally brought under control, the stadium was in shambles and had suffered damages worth several lakhs. The episode has also raised questions about the ability of Karnataka Amateur Athletic Association (KAAA) to host the Asian Grand Prix here on May 22. The KAAA Secretary, K. Satyanarayna, asserts that the event will be right on schedule. "We are confident of carrying out the repairs and the track will be in order for the championship."

But the athletes are sceptical. "We are shocked at the vandalism at the stadium and we urge the Government not to allow such things happen again," they plead. One can only hope that the Government has learnt a lesson from the incident.

KALYAN ASHOK

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