Bhubaneswar, June 27: With just seven days to go for the inauguration of 22nd Asian Athletics Championship, all eyes are on Kalinga Stadium. While teams from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have started training sessions at the stadium, Indian athletes will begin to arrive here from Wednesday.
The athletics meet will be inaugurated on July 5, while competitions will be held between July 6 and July 9.
Additional chief secretary, home, Asit Tripathy today visited the stadium and said the state government was ready to welcome the guests. The multipurpose stadium, which can accommodate around 11,000 spectators, was built in 1998.
"The works department has done a commendable job by completing all work in 90 days. In the run up to the event, we have convened several meetings related to security, transportation of players, traffic management and crowd management. The event will definitely place the state in the international sports arena," said Tripathy.
After completion of all stadium-related jobs, which include installation of floodlights and laying of synthetic track, the state government has turned its attention to its beautification.
The administration is also not taking any chances with the security arrangement for the event and players as well. It has decided to deploy 40 platoons of police, who will be manned by 400 officers. A temporary police control room will be set up at the stadium and security will be strengthened near the airport, and hotels and guesthouses where athletes and officials will stay. Anti-terrorism squad, jawans of Special Operation Group and Quick Response Team will also be deployed for smooth conduct of the event.
Though the Indian team is yet to be officially announced, sources said five Odia players are likely to be part of the Indian team. Sprinter Srabani Nanda, who has already reached the state capital, said it would be lifetime experience for her to perform in front of her home crowd.
"For the first time, we will get an opportunity to perform in front of our home crowd. Though Odia athletes have taken part in several events in the country and abroad as well, this will be a special as they have started their career from Kalinga Stadium," said Nanda.
Sports department officials said nearly 800 athletes from 45 countries would take part in the event. The winners will directly qualify for the World Championship in London, to be held from August 4 to 13. The event will be hosted by India for the third time. Delhi had hosted the event in 1989, and Pune in 2013.
Grab your tickets
The price of tickets has been fixed at Rs 50 for each session. There will be two sessions (8am-11am and 5pm-11pm) a day. Tickets are mandatory for anyone above two years. The online booking for tickets has started and spectators can book the tickets through www.eventsnow.com.
