Blaming the poor timing of the National Games held in Kerala early this year, for India’s weak Asian championship team, the Athletics Federation of India has threatened to boycott the Games in future if they are not timed properly.
“It would have been a strong team but the National Games ruined it. The National Games have ruined our Asian championship as well as our world championship preparations,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla told The Hindu .
“In February, which was the peak period for doing basic ground work, our athletes had to compete in the National Games. So, they did not get an off-season. I have told the Indian Olympic Association that in future I will refuse to send my athletes if the Games are not in a proper time slot. They keep postponing, I cannot let my athletes suffer. In future, they can have National Games without athletics.”
He said the AFI was helpless during this year’s National Games as it had already assured the IOA that it would compete.
“There was nothing we could do this time as we had agreed to be part of the National Games. We could not have pulled out at the last minute,” explained Sumariwalla. “But we have told them, you hold it correctly next time or we pull out. No further issues on this.”
He said the jumpers and the women’s 400m runners were among the athletes who were hit hard by the National Games.
“Vikas Gowda (the Commonwealth Games discus throw champion) is training outside, it did not affect him at all. But if you look at the 400m girls, they are completely affected,” said the AFI chief.
“If you look at our jumpers, now they are slowly coming back. You see, Arpinder is out, Renjith is out. So many of our people are out.”
Former Asian champion Renjith Maheswary won the National Games triple jump gold with a meet record and national record holder Arpinder Singh finished runner-up but the two do not figure in the Indian team for the Asian championship which begins in Wuhan, China, on June 3.
However, it must be mentioned here that many of the country’s top women’s 400m runners did not take part in the National Games, at least in the individual event.
The world championship will be held in Beijing in August.
