At a time when sporting bigwigs are claiming that the nation is heading towards multi-sporting excellence, comes this shocking report of a 19-year-old wrestler succumbing to injuries caused by inadequate infrastr­ucture facilities. Lofty promises mean little if the reality is so appalling at the grassroots level.

The teenager from Pune died during the selection trials of an upcoming state-level wrestling competition. He was wrestling on a cemented floor in the scorching heat. Instead of regulation mats, the participants were made to wrestle on plastic mats over a cemented floor. But often, due to soaring temperatures, these plastic mats melt under the blazing sun.