MARGAO
The opening ceremony of the 37th National Games may have been a colorful spectacle but some spectators and officials had a dull outing at the Nehru Stadium,Fatorda on Thursday
Fans of different ages mainly school and college students began to flock an hour early before the cultural program. Goan singer Hema Sardessai began the proceedings of the program where she sang a mixture of Konkani, Marathi and English songs which got the people grooving to the tunes.
However, as the program commenced, some of the spectators were left dejected outside the stadium. While the gates of the stadium were suppose to close at 5.30 pm, the gates were shut 20 minutes prior due to the stands filled up with invitational pass holders. Many of the fans who turned up late at the venue, especially senior citizens, were left frustrated due to this forceful closure which further led to some of the spectators being accomodated in the media enclosure.
In the enclosure, media officials complained of the lack of proper facilities for their laptops therby forcing them to resort to sending updates via their mobile devices.
Spectators in the East Stand of the stadium were also left clueless about the program and personnels addressing the proceedings due the inaudible sound systems installed.
