Delhi Government Bans Outdoor Sporting Events Due to Severe Air Pollution Emergency

Delhi has suspended all outdoor sporting activities for students after air quality in the city crossed into the severe category. The move follows a call from the Supreme Court for immediate measures to protect children during the most polluted months of the year.

Supreme Court Push Leads to Immediate Action

The Commission for Air Quality Management urged that every sports event planned for November and December be shifted, saying the pollution levels pose serious dangers to young people. The advisory covers schools, universities, colleges, and all recognised sporting bodies across Delhi and the wider NCR.

Officials noted that the capital has been breathing toxic air for days, with levels swinging between very poor and severe. On Friday, Delhi recorded an average AQI of 373, a level experts compare to smoking nearly 10 to 11 cigarettes in a single day.

Courts Sound Alarm Over Risks to Children

The Supreme Court stressed that sporting events can be moved to safer months and instructed the CAQM to respond without delay. The amicus curiae told the court that allowing outdoor activities during this period effectively places children in a "gas chamber".

The Delhi High Court also questioned the government's approach earlier this week, saying the administration was "shirking its responsibility" by not taking timely action.

Doctors Warn of Long Term Harm

Health experts have repeatedly said children are far more vulnerable to polluted air than adults. Their lungs are still developing, they breathe at a faster rate, and their smaller bodies absorb more pollutants. Research shows that long exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 can stunt lung growth, aggravate asthma, weaken the immune system, and even affect cognitive abilities.

Families Face Another Tough Season

For many households in Delhi, the crisis is part of an annual struggle marked by inhalers, persistent coughing, and restricted outdoor time. Paediatric pulmonologists report that hospital visits shoot up every November, often rising by 30 to 40 percent.

The latest order aims to reduce at least one layer of risk for children in what has become one of the most challenging pollution seasons of the year.