Observing that there is a need to have more facilities for athletics and other sports in the city, the Karnataka High Court on Monday suggested to the State government that Bengaluru need at least 10 more stadiums.
A Division Bench made these observations orally during the hearing on a PIL petition, filed by V.R. Beedu, Ashwini Nachappa, both international athlete coaches, and several other coaches and young athletes.
The petitioners have complained that athletes are not allowed to use the Kanteerava outdoor stadium as private football matches, conducted by JSW Bangalore Football Club (BFC), are allowed at the stadium though there is a separate stadium for football whereas no other stadium is available for athletes in the city.
Though the government counsel told the Court that it is not restricting athletes from using the stadium, the counsel admitted that it is the only stadium available for athletes in the city.
“Build more stadiums. Bengaluru has around 1 crore population and one stadium for athletes is not enough. We need at least 10 stadiums so that number of hospitals are reduced as the sports has direct impact on health... The government should think in that direction and give highest priority to built stadiums for athletes,” the Bench observed while the government counsel to convey its view to the State government.
The Bench also advised the government to make suitable arrangements to ensure that athletes are allowed to under go training at the stadium by regulating the entry as per law to ensure that are where competitions are held are not damaged.
