Federation Cup: Neeraj Chopra's presence leads to tight security arrangements

NEW DELHI: Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's presence prompted the organisers of the Federation Cup to tighten security around the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, which was buzzing with activity as fans waited in anticipation ahead of his event on Wednesday.

The level of security implemented was uncommon for an athletics competition in India.

Neeraj's participation in the event marks his first competitive appearance in India in the past three years.

Chopra is featuring in the men's javelin throw final of the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships, after he last competed in India in the 2021 edition of the same tournament.

Before Chopra reached the warm-up track of the stadium two hours before the final, security personnel were seen at the entry area, directing journalists to enter from another gate though they had entered the area through the same gate on previous occasions.

The scribes were given a particular area to station themselves, while in earlier days they were allowed to move around.

In the past, many athletes used to do warm-up at the track but not on Wednesday. Volunteers were placed to stop people from entering the track area. The grass area was kept protected.

To be fair to the organisers, that made the warm-up more orderly and less crowded. Kishore Jena later joined Chopra and they warmed up at the adjacent state-of-art indoor stadium for a while.

(With inputs from PTI)