No September start to athletics due to Covid-19

The revised home athletics season won’t begin in September, mentioned Adille Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

“There is a concern about the health of the competitors as the situation isn’t under control. Hence, the federation isn’t taking any risk,” mentioned Sumariwalla, referring the rising variety of Covid-19 instances in India.

There are almost three million Covid-19 instances in India now with USA and Brazil being the one nations on the earth which have extra.

In pre-Covid instances, the season would begin in February-March however couldn’t this time resulting from a nationwide lockdown from March to June. AFI issued a revised calendar in April with Patiala’s National Institute of Sports, the place elite athletes are coaching, supposed to carry the season’s first competitors within the second week of September. But the power isn’t open to public but and outsiders should be quarantined for 14 days as per Sports Authority of India (SAI) pointers.

“Under the given circumstances, we can’t conduct any competition on the campus. And I have my doubts whether we can start competition in October,” mentioned Sumariwalla.

Under the revised programme, AFI had scheduled the nationwide junior inter-district competitors in November however that too appears troublesome as many states haven’t opened playgrounds.

Haryana has however attendance is skinny. Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium too has opened however just a few are common, mentioned nationwide coach Satyapal Singh, a Dronacharya award winner. “Since there is no competition, athletes aren’t keen to work out.”

Sumariwalla mentioned prime athletes in nationwide camps in Patiala and Bengaluru although will proceed coaching. “Camp is in progress since November (2019). The athletes were also in lockdown for two months from March onwards. Training started in the third week of May. We have advised them to avoid taking leave as it could be risky,” he mentioned.

Yet in June, Rajiv Arokia, one of many key members of the nationwide 4x400m relay staff, went residence. The sprinter from Tamil Nadu is but to return. Recently, Manish Rawat, who completed 13th in males’s 20km race stroll at 2016 Rio Olympics, left the camp in Bengaluru. “We will not take both back as they went home without informing us,” mentioned Sumariwalla.