Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-luminati concert at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium draws ire of Delhi athletes

The aftermath of the event, which was held over the weekend, has seen the track covered in debris and garbage with close to 35,000 fans attending on each day.

A view of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi after the artisit Diljit Dosanjh’s two-day concert over the weekend. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma/The Hindu

India’s athletes were left wondering just how much of a priority they were after New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru stadium -- India’s premier track and field venue -- was left in disarray a day after the two-day Diljit Dosanjh concert Dil-Luminati.

The aftermath of the concert, which was held over the weekend, has seen the track covered in debris and garbage with close to 35,000 fans attending on each day.

When Sportstar visited the stadium on the evening post the concert, piles of rotting food, fluids, and alcohol bottles were strewn across the running track. Several areas of the running surface were soaked in liquid and stained. 

“This is where athletes train but here people had alcohol and partied. For this, the stadium was closed off until yesterday. Athletics equipment has been broken and thrown to the side,” former youth Asian gold medallist Beant Singh shared on the social media platform, Instagram.

A video one athlete shared with Sportstar showed hurdles used by sprinters thrown in a heap with some broken. “They were just picked up and dumped carelessly across rooms, “ said an individual associated with ISL club Punjab FC which is scheduled to host Chennaiyin FC on October 31.

Punjab FC is currently placed fourth on the points table. “There is some major patch work required, which is going on right now,” the source added.

A view of the long jump pit.

“These are equipment that athletes have bought with their own money,” Beant said.

Hundreds of athletes from across the National Capital Region, including several international medallists, train at JLN stadium. However, owing to the concert they were prevented from entering the stadium.

It is learned that concert organisers have hired the venue out until the 1st of November by when all debris and trash will be cleared from the venue. According to publically available information, organisers of non-sporting events can rent out the JLN stadium for 4,50,000 a day.

However, the athletes who train here say they have already lost several days of training time. “Many of the athletes here have their junior National championships in 20-25 days but they have been unable to train in this time,“ Beant, who also coaches multiple athletes, says.

With the main stadium unable to be used, athletes continue to train on the practice pitch of the JLN stadium located adjacent to the main stadium. However, the track is crowded with little space for individual athletes. With football players also occupying the same area, athletes have to dodge balls while practising their runs.

“People only want to take pictures with athletes after they win medals but no one really cares about whether they get to train or not,” one athlete who preferred to stay anonymous said.

In the evening, the clean-up crew had arrived. They, however, used hard brush bristled brooms to sweep the ground, potentially causing even more damage to the soft synthetic running track. Cycle rickshaws carrying heavy loads trundled over the athletic track as well.

“When you cross a track with heavy loads like this, you create indentations in the track. It damages the surface and makes it uneven. JLN stadium has had its track relaid recently but it is uncertain whether how competitions can be held here if the track gets damaged like this,” one athelte said. 

Indeed the few athletes who had come to the ground could only look on helplessly. 

“An athletics ground is like a holy surface for us. If someone even spits near it we slap them. But what can we do here? We have to just watch as the track is damaged,” one athlete said on condition of anonymity.