Young athletes in Noida who dream of following in the footsteps of Usain Bolt and P.T. Usha had long been demanding a synthetic athletics track of their own, and after repeated appeals to local representatives and the authority, that track has now finally been built. But instead of solving their problem, the finished project has become the talk of the town among athletes and coaches for all the wrong reasons. The issue is its length: the track measures just 300 metres, a distance that does not exist anywhere else in the world, since professional tracks are always built to a 400 metre standard.
Athletes and coaches are now sarcastically calling the project the eighth wonder of the world, because as things stand, no standard competition can actually be held on it.
Athletes had to travel to Delhi to practise
Sachin, an athlete who competes in the 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre events, said that with no synthetic track available in Noida, he and others were forced to travel to Delhi's Akshardham or Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium just to practise. According to Sachin, after years of demands and effort, a track was finally built in the stadium, but it has turned out to be of little use. He pointed out that professional tracks around the world are always 400 metres long and a 300 metre track simply does not exist anywhere, yet the Noida authority went ahead and built exactly that. Sachin said he does not know what pressure or intention lay behind the decision, but the result looks like a textbook case of passing the buck once the project was completed.
Association says it had already flagged the technical details
Ashok Saini, joint secretary of the District Athletics Association, said his association had written to the government and administration multiple times demanding this track, and it was only after years of waiting that the authority agreed to build it. Saini said that even before construction began, his association along with the District Olympic Association had explained the technical specifications and essential requirements for the track in detail to the authority. At that time, the authority brushed aside their input, saying a meeting would be held first and only after that would the map and design be approved. According to Saini, it is still not clear which professional's advice was actually used to approve the map and design that were eventually built, and the result is a track that may not serve much practical purpose.
Why a 400 metre track actually matters
Saini explained that a 200 metre track is workable for district level events, but state, national, international, Asian and Olympic level competitions all require a standard 400 metre track. He said a 300 metre track does not exist anywhere in the world, so if the 400 metre standard is not met, holding any level of competition on this track is close to impossible, comparing it to chewing on iron pellets. As per the Noida authority, the entire project has cost approximately Rs 290 crore.
No sign of any field event facilities
Saini also pointed out that athletics, by definition, covers both track and field events, not just track events. While the authority has completed the track component, it has not built any facility for field events. Field events are divided into jumps and throws: the jump events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, while the throw events include discus throw, shot put, javelin throw and hammer throw. Not one of these eight events has any dedicated facility built for it so far. Instead, the authority is now preparing to lay grass on the remaining ground, which Saini says will make it even harder to carve out space for field events later.
Track markings also raise serious concerns
Beyond the track's length, the markings painted on it are also being questioned. Saini said the first line on the track has not been properly joined at all, and the dotted marking that is supposed to indicate the finishing line is completely missing. He said the markings have not been done using proper technical methods, which will create serious confusion for athletes while racing and increase the chances of disqualification over rule violations. In short, a facility built at a cost of hundreds of crores of rupees appears, in its current state, to be creating fresh problems for athletes rather than solving old ones.
