Delhi’s Nehru Stadium, revamped for 2010 CWG at Rs 961 crore, to be demolished for new sports city

Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi facility got a Rs 961 crore makeover and recently before the World Para Athletics championship, a further Rs 50 crore were spent for upgradation.

The ministry wants to utilise the 102 acre area of the Delhi stadium's complex as a lot of it is unused. (FILE)

The iconic Jawahar Lal Nehru (JLN) Stadium will be dismantled to pave way for a Sports City that will have venues for all the major disciplines, along with residential facilities for the athletes, a sports ministry source confirmed on Monday. However, the idea is still at an ‘ideation phase’.

The source said the government is still studying different models across the world where such projects have been executed. “There is no timeline for the project fixed yet as it is in ideation phase. We are assessing sports cities like the one in Doha. Once all of that is done, we will move ahead with the planning phase,” the source said.

The JLN Stadium was originally built for the 1982 Asian Games. Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the facility got a Rs 961 crore makeover and recently before the World Para Athletics championship, a further Rs 50 crore were spent for upgradation.

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Currently, apart from a main football stadium and athletics track, the sports complex houses an archery academy, badminton courts, offices of the Sports Authority of India, the National Anti Doping Agency and the National Dope Testing Laboratory, among others.

When asked what will happen to them, the source said, “All the offices will be relocated and similarly the main stadium will be dismantled. Residential complexes will be built so that when athletes come here to participate in an event, they can stay near the stadium.”

The ministry wants to utilise the 102 acre area of the stadium complex as a lot of it is unused. The stadium was originally built for the 1982 Asian Games and has been one of the most iconic venue of the country with 60,000 capacity. It also hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2017 U17 FIFA World Cup.

Most recently, the stadium hosted the first-ever World Para Athletics Championships. Ahead of the tournament, two new Mondo tracks in the main stadium and practice area were laid while 10,000 new seats were installed in the lower spectators gallery.

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Additionally, the stadium was made wheelchair friendly with new lifts and accessible washrooms.

The source said that one of the models being looked at is the Doha Sports City. Spanning 618 acres, it was mainly prepared for the 2006 Asian Games. It also hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup and is central to the Olympic aspirations of the nation.

Coach’s recruitment drive

Sports Authority of India has announced its largest coaches recruitment drive since 2017. A total of 320 coaches across 25 disciplines will be recruited with 50% positions being reserved for women coaches.

Apart from the major disciplines like hockey, wrestling, boxing, and athletics, the focus will be on sports like kayaking and canoeing with next year’s Asian Games in mind.