B.R Stadium in throes of neglect

Facility plagued by paucity of funds, lack of coaches

The athletics track at BR Stadium in tatters with puddles all over the ground.

Patches of slushy ground, muddy tracks and coats of paint peeling off the roof, and cracks growing on walls. These are the sights that greet sports lovers in Guntur when they visit the Brahmananda Reddy Stadium, which has witnessed many memorable sporting achievements.

A recent spell of heavy rains has only worsened the situation at the stadium, which remains out of bounds for athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several promises were made over the years by successive governments to renovate the stadium, but these have remained on paper. While massive sums have been allotted to building an indoor stadium and the administrative offices of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), the stadium, sadly, lies in throes of neglect.

Glorious past

The Brahamananda Reddy Stadium was the oldest stadium in the State under SAAP and was built in 1965 on 26.40 acres of land. The stadium has been a happy hunting ground for star athletes, and it was here in 1989 during the National Athletics Championship that P.T. Usha rediscovered her form, after the history she created in the Asian Games in 1984. The stadium also hosted first class Ranji matches in the 1980s and 90s.

Since then, the stadium has lost its sheen over the last few years and has become a shadow of itself due to the apathy of sporting bodies.

“BR Stadium still brings back good memories. We have been practising in the ground for the last 40 years. The government should rebuild the place and make it a multi-purpose stadium. Synthetic athletics tracks have come up at many places, but not in Guntur. Since the walls have started cracking, the stadium should be rebuilt,” Athletics Association of Guntur district secretary G. Seshaiah said.

Scores of budding athletes continue to practice on the dusty track without proper equipment, while hockey players slug it out on an open space outside the stadium and gymnasts struggle in a make-shift room.

An indoor stadium and an administrative block for SAAP were constructed at an amount of ₹8 crore. While the indoor stadium continues to serve its purpose, the SAAP shifted its offices to the IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada.

The tennis court has been relaid but it has not been opened for the past one year. The indoor stadium for badminton is the lone exception.

The stadium also does not have an adequate underground drainage system, making it vulnerable to inundation during heavy rain.