The Meghalaya State Olympic Association was left racing to control the damage done by photos that went viral purporting to show the conditions that athletes are having to put up with at the start of the Meghalaya Games 2022.
The Games began today, though the formal opening ceremony is tomorrow.
More than 2,400 athletes from around the state are taking part, an increase of around 1,000 from 2020. Many are being put up in makeshift accommodation at the JN Sports Complex. While this alone is not unusual, the infrastructure there has deteriorated over the last two years, which have seen the Covid-19 pandemic arrive as well as plans to extensively renovate the grounds, meaning that some infrastructure has not been maintained as it is scheduled for demolition in the near future anyway.
The MSOA has mentioned several times that there are issues with infrastructure given the renovations and had asked the participating sports associations and athletes to try and bear with them. However, it appears that the poor state of the facilities was too much to put up with.
Today, photos of filthy toilets went viral on social media, with the claim that these were the facilities being given over to the athletes. However, MSOA working president and co-chairman of the Games, John F Kharshiing, said that they were photos of toilets that the athletes were instructed not to use.
“Prior to the Games, during inspection with field officers, the organising committee decided not to use these defective toilets which have not been used for a long time… We have organised and are using only the good toilets, including bio toilets in the indoor stadium and training hall,” Kharshiing said. “For the girls’ hostel, the toilets are good and clean. On receiving the pictures, we conducted an inspection immediately and it turns out that they are photos of toilets which all athletes have been instructed not to use.”
These toilet doors were sealed but today evening it was found that “some athletes have broken the sealed doors of the unuseable toilets”.
Other photos also emerged of players having to bathe out in the open and having to sleep in rooms with water-damaged walls. One person who forwarded these photos of footballers from Garo Hills said that the accommodation is not even fit for dogs.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who is the chief patron of the event, took note and tweeted his disapproval, though it is not clear which photos he was referring to when he said, “Saw the pictures of arrangements made for accommodation of our sportspersons in Shillong. Not acceptable at all. Have asked the officials to immediately take action and rectify.”
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh also instructed that the stay, food and sporting activities for the athletes who are camping in the city for the Games are of good quality.
“I have received reports that the accommodation, toilets and bath areas are not fit for sportspersons. The Meghalaya Games is being organised by the Olympic Association and I have instructed that the facilities for the athletes should be of good quality befitting the sportspersons,” Lyngdoh, who is also the ex-officio President of the MSOA, said in a statement.
The state government has earmarked Rs 2.2 crore for the fourth edition of the Meghalaya Games, of which Rs 1.2 crore has already been released to the MSOA.
