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National School Games: Upset over govt facilities, players shift to private accommodations in Ludhiana
Teams at the 69th National School Games in Ludhiana have shifted to hotels due to inadequate accommodation, citing poor facilities and transport issues.
Several teams participating in the 69th National School Games, scheduled from January 6 to 11 in Ludhiana, have shifted to hotels and lodged at their own expense, citing inadequate accommodation arrangements provided by the organisers. The national-level event, organised by the School Games Federation of India in association with the district education department, is expected to see participation from 944 players and 39 teams representing states and educational boards from across the country.
Coaches accompanying the teams said the lodging facilities lacked proper beds, heating and basic amenities, making it difficult for athletes to rest and recover ahead of competitions, especially amid prevailing cold conditions.
Around 34 government schools earmarked to accommodate the visiting players.
Surbhi Yadav, coach of the Under-14 judo team from Gujarat, said, “We have decided to move to a private hotel keeping the well-being of the players in mind. After reviewing the accommodation facilities provided to us, we shifted our team, incurring nearly ₹30,000 expense for the tournament. We have young girls with us who are not accustomed to such extreme weather. Sleeping on mattresses placed on the floor without beds and the absence of heating equipment would have been extremely uncomfortable.”
Echoing similar concerns, Pratap Reddy, accompanying the Andhra Pradesh team, said the facilities fell short of prescribed norms. “As per rules, authorities are required to provide three-star accommodation with proper beds or cots. However, the accommodation allotted to us lacks these basic facilities. Our players come from a coastal state and sustaining themselves in such cold conditions is challenging. Still, we are managing with the facilities provided,” he said.
Apart from accommodation issues, several teams complained that the lodging allotted to them was located 10 to 12 kilometres away from the competition venues. Although bus services were arranged, coaches said the number of buses was inadequate to cater to the large number of participants.
Raj Kumar, a coach from the Chhattisgarh team, said, “Our team reached Ludhiana at 3.30 am on Monday but was left stranded at the registration venue due to the distance and lack of transport. Since morning, we have been waiting in the cold for new accommodation arrangements.”
Pallavi Bala from the Tamil Nadu team said, “We completed our registration around 1.30 pm at Government Senior Secondary Smart School, PAU, but have been waiting for over an hour for a bus to take us to our designated accommodation.”
The introduction of biometric machines at registration venues further added to the inconvenience. Parveen Akhtar from the CISCE team, Delhi, said the process was poorly managed. “There is only one functional biometric machine to process over 300 players at the venue. Many players were forced to stand in queues for more than an hour in the cold. This is the first time we have faced such an issue,” she said.
Responding to the concerns, an official from the School Games Federation of India said three biometric machines were deployed, but delays occurred as two were charging since they are battery-operated.
District sports coordinator Kulveer Singh said the biometric system was introduced for the first time to ensure transparency and curb discrepancies in player details. Addressing accommodation concerns, he said efforts were being made to resolve the issues. “Extra mattresses will be provided if requested, and schools hosting the teams have been instructed to arrange hot water to ensure players’ comfort,” he said.
Competitions in judo, taekwondo and gatka are scheduled across multiple venues in the city during the six-day tournament.
