Delhi’s JLN Stadium to be razed for plush sports city

If the Sports Ministry’s plan moves as intended, Delhi will have a plush sports city in the near future. The ministry intends to construct a multi-discipline sports city on the 102-acre site where the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium currently stands.

A ministry source confirmed the plan but said no timeline had been set as discussions were still underway.

“We are planning to build a sports city where the stadium stands now. It will be dismantled and then construction can begin at the site for a sports city having world-class facilities,” the source said.

“At the moment, this is only at the planning stage. Ministry officials have already toured Qatar and sought plans from countries like Australia. We will share the full details when the detailed project report (DPR) is ready,” he added.

If the plans progress, several structures, including the main stadium that hosted the 1982 Asian Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, will have to be demolished. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters and the National Dope Testing Laboratory near Gate No. 10 may also need to be razed.

Interestingly, the stadium was recently fitted with two new Mondo tracks, including in the warm-up area, for last month’s World Para Athletics Championships.

“Like I said, a lot still needs discussion and approval, but the Mondo tracks can be shifted to other centres in India. And if some offices need to be demolished, they will be. We can also relocate these elsewhere,” the source said.

The ministry also plans to hire over 320 coaches for various SAI centres across the country. It said at least 50 per cent of the new recruits would be women. A similar recruitment exercise would be conducted next year to fill remaining vacancies of coaches.

“We want qualified coaches in all our centres. We want to ensure there is no shortage anywhere,” the source said.