In a major development for Indian sports infrastructure, the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, located in the national Capital, will be “dismantled” to boost India’s sports infrastructure as the sports ministry is planning to build a 102-acre Sports City, which will cater to all major disciplines and include a lodging facility for athletes.
The project aims to introduce world-class sporting facilities as India continues to push for the hosting rights of the 2036 Olympic Games. Besides sporting events, the stadium is also used for non-sporting commercial activities, with concerts by Indian and international singers held regularly.
Top sources said sports cities in Qatar and Australia are being assessed to finalise the modalities. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was in Doha recently and it is reliably learnt that he visited the Sports City there. The Doha Sports City is spread over 617 acres. It has facilities for football, aquatics and 13 different indoor sports besides an academy. It also houses a specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital. Australia’s multi-purpose facilities include the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne that can host cricket, Australian rules football, rugby, cricket and soccer.
Sources said the iconic stadium will be dismantled. All offices inside the stadium, including the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) and the Income Tax department, will be relocated as and when the project takes off. The 102-acre area of the stadium will be rebuilt but as of now, the plan is merely a proposal and therefore, the timeline for the project and the estimated cost have not yet been worked out.
According to sources, the Government is still studying different models across the world where such projects have been executed. However, there is no fixed timeline for the start of construction. The redevelopment will only begin after the assessments are complete and a final plan is approved. “We are assessing sports cities like the one in Doha. Once all of that is done, we will move ahead with the planning phase,” sources said.
“Currently, the over 100 acres of land that it occupies are not being used to their optimal level. A Sports City will ensure that we have hosting facilities for major disciplines, training facilities, lodging for athletes when they compete there and even verticals like entertainment will be covered,” he added. The stadium complex currently houses several key sports facilities and offices, including an archery academy, badminton courts, and the headquarters of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), and the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL).
A Sports City project would require synergy between multiple ministries, including the Urban Development Ministry, and departments. Given the long-drawn process, an immediate start to it is unlikely. “It is an idea at this stage but let’s see how the feasibility study works out. But the ministry is very serious about going ahead with it,” sources said.
Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Complex is an example closer home, having facilities for cricket, aquatics, tennis and athletics, among others. It is spread over 250 acres and was built at a cost of Rs 4,600 crore. The city is currently bidding to host the 2036 Olympic Games and is set to be awarded the 2030 Commonwealth Games later this month. “The JLN project will also be big in scale. This project will ensure that the existing infrastructure, which was crumbling inside JLN, will get rebuilt,” sources added.
The Stadium, originally built for the 1982 Asian Games and later renovated for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has long been one of India’s most iconic multi-sport venues. With a capacity of nearly 60,000, it has hosted major athletics events, football fixtures, large-scale concerts, and national ceremonies, including Independence Day functions. The stadium has historically served as the home venue for the national athletics team and has been a key landmark within India’s sporting history for over four decades. The stadium was refurbished in 2010 at a cost of over Rs 961 crore.
The stadium recently hosted the World Para-Athletics Championship for which it underwent another facelift, leading to the laying of the renowned MONDO track, which is considered a faster surface that reduces the risk of injury. Besides being a prime athletics venue, the stadium has a football pitch where national and international-level games have been held. It has hosted a couple of cricket ODIs as well in 1984 and 1991 before the ICC found it unsuitable for the sport due to technical reasons.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) had recently hiked the booking price for such events and introduced a clause for penalties if the stadium was not handed back to it in good condition at the conclusion of such programmes.
