JAP jawans, deputed for security duty during the Games, assemble at Haribansh Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium in Ranchi on Saturday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Jan. 29: In yet another change to the schedule of the 34th National Games, the venue for judo has been shifted back to Jaipal Singh Mega Sports Complex, four days after it was slotted for RK Anand Lawn Bowls at Namkum.

“Judo will be held at Mega Sports Complex,” National Games Organising Committee (NGOC) secretary S.M. Hashmi said today.

Earlier, the equestrian venue had been shifted from Ranchi to Jamshedpur all of a sudden while fencing was slated from the city to the administrative block of the mega sports complex. Dates of wrestling and archery were also rescheduled.

The banquet hall of the administrative block at the main venue was initially selected as the judo venue. However, officials decided to shift the venue, citing that the banquet hall lacked space for mats on which players contest their bouts.

The judo officials, however, were unhappy with the surface of the indoor hall at RK Anand Bowls Green as well. “The concrete surface is yet to be completed to meet the requirements of the sport,” said Gopal Kumar, an official.

The state judo association members were then asked to inspect facilities at other potential venues in the capital, including Ranchi Club and Town Hall. Last evening, the members informed Hashmi that “no suitable space” was available at these places.

The latest shift means the judo duels will be fought on the wooden floors of one of the indoor stadiums, which include facilities akin to the Ganpat Rai Indoor Stadium.

Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Sudesh Mahto, who also holds the sports portfolio, today gave the go-ahead to various sub-committees to take quick decisions on their own to avoid further loss of time before the Games. During a three-hour meeting at the mega sports complex, Mahto reviewed the progress of all 15 sub-committees.

The proposal to fix Rs 10 for entry to the mega sports complex as well as a decision on entry fees for the opening and closing ceremonies were kept on hold.

'The final decision on entry fees will be taken in two to three days,' Hashmi said. Mahto also directed that awareness drives touch upon block and district headquarters too so that maximum response could be garnered for the Games.