Chandigarh: Sector 7 Sports Complex to get facelift ahead of Asian Relays

The UT Sports Department is all set to revamp the Sector 7 Sports Complex after the Asian Athletics Association picked the arena to host the 2027 Asian Relays. The event was allotted on Wednesday, the first major Asian championship to be held in Chandigarh after a gap of almost four decades. The Asian Relays are scheduled for May 2027. In the process, the UT Sports Department has now decided to revamp the complex to make it eligible for hosting future international events too.

As per the plan, the Sports Department will come up with a seating arrangement to accommodate nearly 7,000 spectators. Canopies to protect from sun Canopies will be installed to protect the spectators and officials from the sun, followed by the upgrade of floodlights matching international standards. The current floodlights throw 500 lux of light on the centre track, which will be upgraded to 2,000 lux of light. The revamp will also include the upgrade of the gym, purchase of new equipment and proper marking or cleaning of the track.

While the Ministry of Sports, national federation and organisers are expected to allot some budget for organising this event, it has been estimated that a budget of Rs 6 to 7 crore is likely to be spent for making the arrangements. The restrooms block has already been upgraded while arrangements will be made for the officials, manual timekeepers, photo-finish judges and others. 22 nations to participate The event will not only host athletes from nearly 22 nations, but also officials from parts of the world. “We were expecting to host this event and had prepared a plan accordingly. The stadium will go under a massive revamp as the actual plan is to improve and increase the seating arrangement to accommodate nearly 7,000 spectators. The upgrade of floodlights, gym, and running area is also on the cards,” said Sorabh Kumar Arora, Director (Sports).

The Administration is also keen on inviting famous and budding athletes to the event. According to sources, the Administration is preparing a proposal to invite schoolchildren and other professionals to encourage the participants. The city had got its first-ever synthetic athletics track in 2023 after decades of waiting. The project to lay an all-weather synthetic track made of polyurethane got a major push in 2012.

In 2013, Bollywood flick “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” gave a push to the project. According to the original plan, it was decided to build a full-fledged 10-lane track at the Sector 46 Sports Complex.

However, the planning committee sought to acquire some portion of the adjoining Sector 46 Post Graduate Government College for the project, which delayed the process. The planning again started in 2017 and after a wait of two years, the stakeholders agreed to build the track at the Sector 7 Sports Complex. The tender process also witnessed some hiccups, but after the introduction of the synthetic track, the city hosted major events associated with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).