Coronavirus Outbreak: Sports complexes and stadiums will be permitted to open, says new MHA guidelines

As per the new guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), sports stadiums and complexes will be allowed to open. However, the guidelines also state that spectators will not be allowed inside any of the stadium in the country.

"All cinema halls, shopping malls, gymanasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places. Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open' however, spectators will not be allowed," said the new guidelines.

Also, MHA continues to put prohibition of sports activities, as mentioned under the head of activities prohibited : All social/political/sports/entertainment/academic/cultural/religious/ functions/other gatherings and large congregations.

The permission to open stadiums and complexes should come as a relief to many athletes who have been under the lockdown and lack proper training.

The lockdown came into effect in mid-march and elite athletes, who are based at Sports Authority of India (SAI) complexes in Patiala and Bengaluru, have been demanding a resumption of training.

Last week, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju held a series of video conferences to take the athletes' view on the matter.

On 3 May, he had declared that the ministry was aiming for a phased resumption of national camps by the end of this month for at least the Olympic-bound athletes.

With inputs from PTI

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