Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium To Be Torn Down, Reborn As World-Class Sports City
Delhi's Nehru Stadium to be razed for new Sports City hub.
In what could mark the most ambitious overhaul of India’s sports infrastructure, the government is set to dismantle the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi to make way for a state-of-the-art Sports City. According to senior officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the 102-acre complex—currently home to major national events—will be entirely redeveloped to house world-class sporting facilities, athlete housing, and integrated training centers. The plan, however, remains in the proposal stage, and officials are yet to finalize a timeline for the project.
Sources told NDTV that the proposed Sports City will be modeled on some of the world’s most advanced sporting ecosystems, drawing examples from Qatar’s Aspire Zone and Australia’s Olympic Park in Sydney. These complexes not only cater to training and competition but also serve as long-term residences and research hubs for sports science. Ministry insiders revealed that all offices currently located within the stadium, including the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), will be relocated to enable a complete teardown and redesign of the site.
Officials emphasized that the redevelopment aims to create a holistic sports environment capable of hosting international events and nurturing India’s next generation of athletes. The project’s vision aligns with the government’s broader strategy to elevate India’s global standing in sports, following the example of modern facilities like Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Complex, which has become a benchmark in multi-sport infrastructure.
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Built for the 1982 Asian Games and refurbished for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has long been a symbol of India’s sporting heritage. Its transformation into a contemporary Sports City is being viewed as a forward-looking step—one that merges legacy with innovation. If approved, the project could redefine the national capital’s sporting landscape and set the tone for future developments across the country.
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