Delhi Air So Bad That Professional Athletes Vomit On The Field, Forced To Take Pollution Break

A Sri Lankan player vomited on the field and was escorted off the ground as heavily polluted air continued to plague an international cricket test match in Delhi. The fast bowler Suranga Lakmal was seen doubled over and retching on Tuesday afternoon as levels of the most harmful pollutants hovered at about 300 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of the Indian capital – 12 times the World Health Organisation safe limit.

Lakmal was one of the players to be badly affected on Sunday when air pollution forced a break in play in the test between India and Sri Lanka, the first such interruption in international cricket history. He and another bowler, Lahiru Gamage, were forced to abandon bowling duties mid-over for a spell in the changing rooms where the coach, Nic Pothas, said Lakmal was “continuously vomiting”.

Lakmal was helped off the ground on Tuesday by a Sri Lankan team physiotherapist after his team-mates – mostly playing in pollution masks – rushed to his aid. Later the Indian pacer Mohammed Shami also vomited. Groundsmen scattered sawdust.

The scenes at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium have fuelled a debate in India over whether Delhi should be permitted to hold sporting events during winter when year-round pollution in the city reaches severe levels.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/05/sri-lankan-bowler-suranga-lakmal-vomits-in-delhi-cricket-match-polluted-air