It took the organisational skills of Hyderabadis, with Dr. S. Rajesh Kumar as organising secretary of the meet and the efforts of Masters Athletics Association of Telangana, to give a major fillip to the Masters Athletics Federation of India (MAFI), the national body which governs the veterans athletics, in terms of recognition from the World Masters Athletics (WMA).
By hosting the 38th edition of the National Masters Meet at the Gachibowli Stadium featuring about 3,700 athletes - costing about Rs. 20 lakh, the MAFI can now plan big besides picking the Indian squad for the Asian championship to be held in China this September. Thanks to the experience of the familiar face of Dr. S. Rajesh Kumar the meet was such a big success that it prompted Winston Thomas, IAAF Masters Commission member, WMA, to declare that it was one of the best meets they had ever seen. Not surprisingly, WMA president Stan Perkins felicitated Dr. Rajesh as a token of appreciation for the “wonderful way the National meet was conducted”. In a way, the meet also saw WMA declare that it is the MAFI which is recognised by the world body despite the Athletics Federation of India taking a different view. “It is for the AFI to sort out the contentious issue via-a-vis MAFI. We cannot exactly say why and how such actions were taken. But as far as we are concerned, MAFI has the world body’s backing for all its activities in future also,” explained Winston Thomas to The Hindu .“The AFI needs to meet the MAFI officials and thrash out the differences, if any, and not take any such. decisions which anyhow don’t have a bearing on us,” he argues. “Their move to de-recognize MAFI has only led to confusion and nothing else. We will take up the issue with the AFI and also with the IAAF too.
, though we have not officially from the former with regard to their move against MAFI,” the top official of World body remarked.
There is also an opinion in the athletics circles that Dr. Rajesh might also be forced by the AFI to take call whether he would wish to be with it or the Masters body!
