The Asian athletics championship, originally allotted to Chennai, is likely to be held in Ranchi at its new stadium.
An indication to this effect was available on Tuesday after the visit of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwala on Monday.
The president of the Jharkhand Athletics Association (JAA), Madhu Kant Pathak, took the AFI president for an inspection of the venue. According to Mr. Pathak, the AFI president expressed complete satisfaction of the facilities and termed the infrastructure as “world class.”
Later a delegation of athletics officials met one of the advisors of the Governor, Dr. Syed Ahmed, seeking the State government’s support in hosting the four-day championship.
Presentation
The government official told the delegation to submit a presentation giving complete details on the number of athletes, countries, officials expected and its plans on accommodation for the visiting sportspersons and the kind of security needed for the prestigious meet.
The delegation has also been asked to provide an approximate budget for the championship. The advisor urged the officials to submit the presentation by Saturday.
Mr. Pathak said he had already formed a committee to prepare the presentation. “I don’t expect any problem in getting the government’s nod for this event which will be held from July 4 to 7. We also expect the government to provide the Rs. 13 crore needed to host the championship,” he said.
The meet was scheduled to be held in Chennai but the Tamil Nadu Government decided to withdraw from conducting it on the issue of Sri Lanka’s participation. It was then that the AFI decided to find a new venue. India last hosted the championship in New Delhi in 1989.
