Indian sprinter Hima Das and other athletes complain about poor food quality at NIS

Indian sprinter Hima Das and a group of fellow athletes have lodged a complaint about the poor quality of food being served to them at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS) situated in Patiala, Punjab.

One of the largest sports facilities in Asia, NIS Patiala is the academic wing of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and a lot of promising Indian athletes undergo training there. It is spread over a massive area of 268 acres at the Old Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala, with sports facilities for a large number of disciplines ranging from athletics, hockey, tennis, badminton, basketball and handball among others.

According to a report in the Times of India, Hima Das and a few other athletes have complained about the poor quality of meals cooked for them at the NIS mess during their stay in mid-August. The group of athletes have also expressed their concerns about the bad hygiene practices in the kitchen at the institute.

The complaint prompted the Sports Authority of India to launch an investigation into the incident. They decided to quickly act on it and set up a 'Food Inspection Committee' to ensure the proper quality of meals for all the athletes.

In her complaint to the authorities, Hima Das had notified the authorities about the presence of human nails in her food. The short-distance sprinter from Assam even took pictures of the aforementioned meal and shared them with the NIS administration in her complaint.

Hima Das is the current record holder for India in the 400 metres running distance with a timing of 50.79 seconds, having clocked this timing at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is the first Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at the IAAF World U20 Championships. Currently, she is undergoing training as she aims to secure qualification for the Tokyo Olympics slated to be held next year.