'No compromise' made with JLN stadium track: Kalmadi

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi today assured athletes that "no compromise" has been made with the quality of the turf provided for the track and field event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Thursday assured athletes that "no compromise" has been made with the quality of the turf provided for the track and field event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

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"We will never compromise on the quality of field of play offered to the athletes in any sport. We will not expose the athlete - who is central of everything we do at the Games - to the risk of injury," Kalmadi, wrote in 'Village News', a special newspaper published during the Games.

Indian and foreign athletes gave a thumbs up to the repaired track on the first day of the track and field competition on Wednesday. The synthetic turf at the stadium was damaged during the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

The OC chairman also allayed the doubts over a timely start to the events at the stadium, saying he had ensured that there is no such delay.

"There were some doubts expressed by reputed former athletes, now in the media, whether the athletics competition would begin on schedule, since the track needed some repair and the work on laying the in-field turf appeared to run behind time.

"Indeed, we had to ensure not only that the track but the infield are ready," Kalmadi said.

He praised his team and other agencies for working tirelessly to get the track repaired in time.

"There were many other things that needed to be in order to ready it for competition. We realised all this had to be done and our team - with support from all agencies - worked through the night to ensure that both the track and the infield were in shape," he wrote.