Now Reading: Rs 15 lakh javelin machine lies unused at JLN stadium
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Rs 15 lakh javelin machine lies unused at JLN stadium
A specialised javelin-throwing machine costing around Rs 15 lakh has been lying uninstalled and exposed to monsoon rains at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi since its arrival in March. The equipment, procured under the government’s Make in India initiative for advanced strength training, remains wrapped in polythene behind a sports hostel with no earmarked space for installation.
The machine is modelled on the German Kraft Trainings Gerät system, designed to replicate the explosive upward drive of javelin throwing. India is only the third country to acquire such a machine. A similar device was installed at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Sources said the Mission Olympic Cell cleared a Rs 22 lakh proposal for javelin thrower Sachin Yadav’s training needs in 2026, which included this equipment. The sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India had not responded to queries about the machine's condition and safeguards at the time of publication.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The JLN Stadium is the main venue for the Athletics Federation of India’s domestic camps, and a functioning KTG machine there would have given multiple throwers access to a training tool that was previously limited to Patiala. The delay suggests a breakdown in coordination between the Sports Authority of India, which manages the stadium, and the Mission Olympic Cell, which cleared the funding. How much damage the monsoon has already done to the computer and sensors will determine whether the Rs 15 lakh machine can be salvaged or has become a write-off before it ever trained an athlete. The next concrete signal will be the Sports Ministry’s written response to the queries sent by TOI.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
