Elite athletes dodge cricket balls, walkers, picnic parties while warming up

The Nilambar Pitambar Park complex in Ranchi is where locals in the evenings take a nice leisurely stroll, have picnics, play cricket and football, and savour the snacks from food karts lined up at the gates. Locals even call it the “Oxygen Park” and suggest it as a top place in the city for family outings.
athletes have had to make do with mud tracks at the crowded park in Ranchi
For the past few days, the footfall at the park has increased significantly and it’s not due to more locals thronging the ground. The football kicks and cricket shots have proven to be serious impediments for some of the country’s elite track and field athletes who have to make do with the park as a designated warm-up area.
The Nilambar Pitambar Park’s archery area, across the road from the Birsa Munda football stadium, the venue for the ongoing Athletics Federation Cup, now doubles up as the assigned preparation area for athletes.
The four-day event, which has seen almost 800 entries, is a selection trial meet organised the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the upcoming Asian Championships to be held in Bangkok.
It is not every day that locals visiting the park run into elite athletes, including several international medalls, during their evening walks. Just 50m from the main entrance, physios can be seen working on their massage tables as curious onlookers gaze at them.
As per World Athletics, the competition venue and warm-up areas must be heavily fenced
In the middle of the training ground, the elite athletes were seen fighting for space with locals playing cricket and football. Quarter-miler Arokia Rajiv, an Asian Games bronze medall, almost got hit a flying karate-style kick a local who was trying to attempt a volley. It wasn’t a stray incident as several elite athletes, who have represented India on the international circuit, complained about the warm-up area which also serves as a call room for athletes.
Risk of injury
“I was hit a ball while training. During warm-ups, we do fast repetitions and if we stumble because a football or an unsuspecting walker comes our way, we can be seriously injured. What if an athlete slips and gets a ligament tear? That means almost a year out of sports,” complained an athlete.
“Ideally, any top-level sports meet should have a designated warm-up area with at least one 100m stretch of synthetic track,” explained a coach.
No synthetic track means runners have to train without spikes and hurdlers without hurdles and jumpers without a mud pit.
But athletes have had to make do with mud tracks at the crowded park in Ranchi. No synthetic track means runners have to train without spikes and hurdlers without hurdles and jumpers without a mud pit.
“If this is the state of the warm-up area for Asian Championship qualification, you can imagine our plight,” said a national record holder training at the park.
Responding to the complaints raised athletes, AFI chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair said that the federation tried its best to find a venue with synthetic warm-up tracks but nothing materialised. “Lot of previous editions of the Federation Cup have been hosted without synthetic tracks and it is not necessary. I reached here on Sunday and told the guards to stop the cricketers from playing. We’ll surely find a venue with a synthetic warm-up track for the upcoming Interstate meet,” Nair said.
As per World Athletics, the competition venue and warm-up areas must be heavily fenced with only designated officials allowed inside. But there were no takers for this rule in Ranchi.
“Crucial areas must be heavily fenced; in particular the start area (including the Warm-up Area and the Call Room) and finish area (including any mixed zone). Only accredited people will be allowed access to these areas. The general public should only be allowed to cross the course at well-organised cross-over points, marshalled stewards,” states Section 54 of the World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules, 2020 edition.