Mismanagement continues to plague National Games

RANCHI - From missing tables and chairs for judges and other officials to non-functional media centres and long lines of people waiting to undergo security checks, instances of mismanagement were rampant on the second day of 34th National Games here Sunday.

Taekwondo competitions were affected as there was no seating for the judges and referees. Taekwondo Federation of Indias secretary general T. Praveen Kumar was livid at the organizers for not even providing tables and chairs for the judges. The tables arrived only after the quarter-final matches were over.

“Only tall claims were made by organisers. What could be more worse than that judges were not provided chair for the matches,” Praveen Kumar asked while speaking to reporters.

After the grand opening ceremony Saturday, players and media persons had a harrowing time Sunday.

Despite claims of Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) president R.K. Anand, none of the media centres at the stadiums was functioning till afternoon, causing great inconvenience to reporters as there was no other option available for sending reports.

Meanwhile, camerapersons covering the aquatic events were not allowed to enter the venue for the police refused to recognise the official media accreditation cards issued by the JOA. The camerapersons stood their ground and ultimately were allowed in after the Swimming Federation of India officials intervened.

The Games that kicked off in the Jharkhand capital Saturday with a spectacular show have been mired in several controversies, including a scam in the purchase of equipment.

The opening ceremony had Bollywood actors Vivek Oberoi and Ameesha Patel adding the glamour quotient. The Games began at Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur on Sunday, after being postponed six times due to incomplete infrastructure.