Tura, May 2: The much hyped sporting extravaganza- Meghalaya Games 2022 kick starting this week was meant to showcase Meghalaya at the pedestal of its might in sports. Sadly, it has opened with nothing but widespread criticism from athletes, officials and coaches after witnessing one of the most poorly organised games in the history of the state.

Several thousand athletes from 12 districts of Meghalaya have arrived in Shillong to participate in the Meghalaya Games 2022, and a large chunk of them belong to the five districts of Garo Hills.

Though the young boys and girls athletes went with a dream of giving their best and bringing home medals, they were welcomed with poor accommodation arrangements at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium complex- dirty rooms, damp floors, leaking roofs, no water supply and worst of all- open pit latrines as toilets.

Athletes were left in disbelief when they arrived on Monday at the stadium complex.

“We did not have any proper water facilities so we had to use the rain water for washing and bathing. When we wanted to use the toilet we found it was a very dirty open pit latrine with just a curtain in place of a door. There are hundreds of athletes, how can we use such facilities?” a football player from Tura complained to HUB News on Sunday night.

Another team player displayed pictures of mattresses on wet floors with water leaking from the roof.

“In one place there were five buckets collecting water from the leaking roof. It had rained the whole morning of Monday. The young boys and girls are cold and feeling uneasy because the accommodation is so horrible and the weather is not providing any help,” said a footballer.

What has angered the participants the most is the lack of hygienic bathrooms and toilets for use.

In one instance, 36 football players and team members from just West Garo Hills district are having to share a single toilet, which itself is not even a bio toilet, with dozens of other players of different events.

A similar situation was in store in the sleeping accommodation where as many as 80 people were packed into rooms that should have accommodated only 20 individuals.

“First we had to witness the use of an open pit latrine which made some of our boys vomit. Then we found ourselves pushed into rooms with around 70-80 people. It was too much. We collected all our baggage and left,” said Mathew Momin aka Chichi- head coach of West Garo Hills Taekwondo Team.

The taekwondo team, numbering 15 participants, have finally managed to secure a stay in the Meghalaya Taekwondo Stadium complex for the night.

“We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but right now all our boys are exhausted and need to sleep so we are taking whatever is available,” said Momin.

CM angry with arrangements, orders for immediate rectification

The Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has expressed anger after seeing the pictures of the poor accommodation for the athletes and issued a strong direction to the officials to immediately rectify the situation.

Saw the pictures of arrangements made for accommodation of our sportsperson in Shillong. Not acceptable at all. Have asked the officials to immediately take action and rectify.

— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) May 2, 2022

The chief minister had gone to Delhi to meet the Union Human Resources Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan which proved to be a major positive impact for students of the state as the centre has agreed to exept Meghalaya students from the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) exams.

Besides directing the officials to make the proper and necessary arrangements for the athletes, chief minister Conrad K Sangma also tweeted, “Saw the pictures of arrangements made for accommodation of our sportspersons in Shillong. Not acceptable at all. Have asked the officials to immediately take action and rectify.”

Organising Committee tries to downplay accommodation woes

Despite anger all around over the poor arrangements made for athletes of the state, the organising committee of the Meghalaya Games 2022 has tried to downplay the situation.

“Prior to the games during inspection with field officer JN stadium the organising committee decided not to use these defective toilets which have not been used since long time, which is likely to be demolished. Under the present renovation we have organised and are using only the good toilets including bio toilets in the indoor stadium and training hall,” stated John F Kharshiing, the working president and co-chairman of the organising committee refusing to acknowledge the shortcomings.

But no one is buying the story. Particularly the athletes and their managers who are witnessing the terrible scenes of poor living conditions inside the games compound.

No reaction from Sports Minister

In the midst of widespread criticism, no one official or minister has responded to the public criticism, except for chief minister Conrad K Sangma who has sought a report on the situation and called for immediate changes.

The deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong has been silent and so have his cabinet colleagues.

But the most striking member with his silence is sports minister Banteidor Lyngdoh who was not even present to welcome and meet the athletes from so many districts converging at the stadium on Monday.

The sports minister has not commented on the fiasco even after 6 long hours had passed since the pictures went viral and people began to condemn the arrangements.