Sports Authority of India Steps In After 'Dil-Luminati' Mess At Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: Venue Cleaned up Following Outrage

Hours after the messed up state of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium following a two-day concert by singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh triggered outrage, its owner, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), said that the iconic venue has been cleaned up and is ready to host its next sporting engagement on October 31. Widespread littering at the end of Dosanjh's 'Dil-Luminati' concert on Saturday and Sunday, that drew nearly 40,000 fans each night, led to sharp criticism from Delhi-based athletes who regularly train at the stadium.

It wasn't the first time that such an event was held at the venue, which has hosted concerts by top international stars such as Bryan Adams (2004) and Ricky Martin (1998) in the past. But the after-effects of Dosanjh's gig were heavily criticised by the athletes.

SAI sprung into action once the criticism went viral across social media and issued a statement to say that the competition area and its surroundings have been restored.

"The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Main Arena will be in top shape to host the Indian Super League (ISL) football match between Punjab FC and Chennaiyin FC on October 31, 2024 (Thursday). The turf has been restored to match playing condition before the Diwali game," the SAI stated along with pictures of the restored venue.

Earlier, Delhi's middle-distance runner Beant Singh posted images and a video of the stadium's track and field area which was littered with garbage, alcohol containers and damaged athletics equipment.

"This is where athletes train, but here people had alcohol, danced and partied. Because of these kind of things, the stadium will remain close for 10-10 days. The athletics equipment like the hurdles have been broken and thrown here and there," he wrote on the Instagram.

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