THE INDIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION has urged the BCCI to consider air pollution as a criterion before picking venues for hosting matches.
Earlier, the IMA had issued a warning that playing at venues with higher pollution index will put athletes’ health at serious risk. However, the board refused to pay attention to the warning and instead accused the Lankans of fake protesting in order to break skipper Virat Kohli’s rhythm. As reported by ANI, the medical association wrote to the BCCI and said,
“If rain and poor light are taken into consideration when determining suitable playing conditions, we suggest that atmospheric pollution should now also be included in the assessing criteria for a match.”
It further added,
“Greatly troubled about the recent cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Delhi played under conditions of high levels of air pollution. Air pollution also reduces the performance of the athletes. In a situation where milliseconds and millimetres often determine success of athletes, air pollution can be an important factor in affecting their performance.”