Appalled by the sub-standard accommodation provided to her at the 49th National Open Athletics Meet here, the legendary PT Usha broke down in tears as she lambasted Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials for the shabby treatment of athletes.
The celebrated sprinter, here to attend the meet, was left stunned by the apathy of officials, who later apologised to her.
The organisers had arranged her stay at the SAI hostel here but Usha found the accommodation sub-standard and demanded a better place.
“If I get this type of treatment, you can imagine what other athletes get,” said Usha with tears in her eyes.
“That is why parents are not encouraging their children to go for sports and that is why we are not getting any medals at the international level,” she added.
“I feel insulted.”
The officials of the Madhya Pradesh Athletics Federation met Usha after the furore to pacify her and the state government asked its sports director to probe the incident.
Keywords: National Open Athletics, PT Usha, Sports Authority of India, Madhya Pradesh Athletics Federation
