CWG 2022: Wrestling bouts come to a halt after loudspeaker crashes down from ceiling
The 2022 Commonwealth Games saw an embarrassing situation for the organisers. One of the loudspeakers at a venue came crashing down from the ceiling as the wrestling bouts were halted.
FollowIn what turned out to be an embarrassing happening for the organisers, the wrestling episodes at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 had to be halted, while the spectators were asked to vacate the arena hall after a loudspeaker fell from the ceiling, just minutes after the opening session began. Only five bouts were completed when a speaker playing the relay announcements fell near one of the mat chairpersons, increasing a safety issue at the Ceventary Stadium and Arena on the first day of the wrestling competitions. It was right after Deepak Punia of India had won his opening 86kg bout after defeating Matthew Oxenham of New Zealand, thus reaching the quarterfinal.
The fans gathered at the venue to catch the action were asked to vamoose, while the organisers called for a thoroughgoing examination and specified a session restart at 12:45 local time. "All are safe. They are just rechecking the whole system to avoid any untoward incident," said one of the wrestling coaches.
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A security officer and an official from the Indian, Scottish and Pakistan teams told PTI that a speaker fell from the hall's ceiling, leading to a prolonged delay. The session was stopped at 11.22 local time, and then it was announced that action would resume at 12.15. The resumption timing was changed on three occasions at the time of writing.
"We have been hearing that a speaker fell, and everyone was told to vacate the area for a safety check," a security officer at the venue was quoted as saying. An Indian official said, "We are in the warm-up area. We heard about a speaker falling near the mat."
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A Pakistani team official inside the hall at the time of the incident said, "I could not see it, but something fell. They said a speaker, and we had to come out." Everyone inside the venue was tight-lipped about what exactly happened as the spectators had to wait in the corridor, seeking transparency on resumption.
"We have been waiting for more than an hour. They said it would start soon, but we have no clarity now," said Inderpal, a fan. Nine bouts had already taken place before the session was stopped. Gold medal contenders Bajrang Punia and Deepak Punia had won their respective bouts comfortably.
(With inputs from PTI)
