Archive · 10 Dec 2025
Rusted poles kill athletes in Haryana
Two young athletes in Haryana, India, died because the basketball poles they were practicing on collapsed.
The poles were very old and rusted, and the sports facilities where they trained were in bad condition.
The athletes' families and other athletes say the government did not take care of the facilities.
The government is now blaming each other for not fixing the problems.
Many athletes in Haryana train hard and win medals, but the places where they practice are not safe.
The families of the dead athletes are very sad and want the government to make the sports facilities better so no more children die.
Two 15-year-old athletes, Hardik Rathi and Aman Kumar, died due to collapsed basketball poles in Haryana.
The incidents occurred at the Haryana Yuva Sports Complex in Rohtak and Shaheed Brigadier Hoshiar Singh Stadium in Bahadurgarh.
The facilities were described as rusted, abandoned, and poorly maintained, with complaints from athletes about the conditions going unaddressed.
The government has admitted to administrative negligence, suspended officials, and ordered inquiries, while politicians trade blame over maintenance responsibility and infrastructure budgets.
Haryana's sports infrastructure has been praised for producing medals but criticized for its poor maintenance and selective repairs.
- Who
- Two 15-year-old athletes, Hardik Rathi and Aman Kumar, died due to collapsed basketball poles in Haryana.
- What
- The athletes were killed by rusted and poorly maintained basketball poles during practice.
- When
- The incidents occurred recently, with Hardik's death happening two weeks ago and Aman's death close on its heels.
- Where
- The tragedies occurred at the Haryana Yuva Sports Complex in Rohtak and Shaheed Brigadier Hoshiar Singh Stadium in Bahadurgarh, Haryana.
- Why
- The deaths were caused by the negligence and poor maintenance of sports infrastructure in Haryana.
- Victims
- Hardik Rathi (15) and Aman Kumar (15)
- Location
- Rohtak and Bahadurgarh, Haryana
- Cause of Death
- Collapsed basketball poles
- Infrastructure Condition
- Rusted, abandoned, and poorly maintained
- Government Response
- Inquiries ordered, officials suspended, blame game ongoing
- Sports Budget
- Rs 300-600 crore annually
- Cash Prizes
- Over Rs 640 crore awarded in past five years
- Khelo India Funds
- Haryana received Rs 66.59 crore, Gujarat Rs 426.13 crore