News Tamil Nadu

“Half-Cooked Food, Freezing Nights”: Parents Expose Republic Day Games Ordeal Organized By SDAT Led By Dy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin In Madurai

January 7, 2025
The Commune

Parents of athletes have criticized the sports administration overseeing the 65th Republic Day Games in Madurai, accusing them of failing to provide basic facilities for the athletes participating in the three-day event starting from 6 January 2024. The student-athletes were subjected to poor conditions, including substandard, undercooked food, freezing cold temperatures during overnight stays, and a lack of morning meals. Notably, the sports meet is organized by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, led by DMK scion and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.

The Madurai District Physical Education department was sanctioned to conduct 65th Republic Day Sports Meet for the 17-year-old age group, involving men’s and women’s teams, physical education teachers, and coaches for volleyball, football, hockey, and table tennis from 38 districts. Participants arrived in Madurai on the evening before the event began.

Unbearable Conditions

The girls were housed at the KACA Arunachal Nadar School in Jaihindpuram, Madurai, where they faced dire conditions. The classrooms had only two large windows and iron-barred doors, and due to the lack of wooden doors, cold winds blew through the night, making the athletes uncomfortable and unable to sleep. Despite receiving blankets, there was no other provision to protect them from the cold. The students expressed how difficult it was to maintain their sportsmanship in such adverse conditions after training year-round for this competition. The poor toilet facilities also led to health issues, including urinary infections.

Poor Food Quality

During the football and volleyball matches held at TVS Sundaram Higher Secondary School in Madurai, students, coaches, and teachers complained about the quality of the food provided. Breakfast served before the competition was a half-cooked Pongal. Due to the time constraints, the athletes had to buy bread and buns on their own and quickly head to the matches. For lunch, they were served kuska, which was described as resembling clay balls and was inedible. With no time or opportunity to complain, many athletes were forced to spend their own money at nearby hotels for food.

Over 2,000 students participated in these competitions, and most faced similar hardships, including poor food quality. A similar situation occurred in the Vadipatti sports competitions, affecting more than 1,200 students.

Action Taken by Authorities

Upon learning of the issues, Madurai CEO Renuka responded by addressing the complaints. She explained that in some areas, such as Race course, sambar was served with Pongal half cooked, leading to concerns about food safety. An investigation was conducted, and food safety officials inspected the contractor’s food preparation facilities. As a result, the catering contract was terminated, and a new contractor was hired to ensure quality food was served to the students in the afternoon. A special monitoring committee was also set up to oversee the distribution of food moving forward.

(With inputs from Dinamalar)

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.