The Federation Cup senior National athletics meet to be held in New Delhi from April 20 to 23 will experiment for the first time with qualifying standards for each discipline and accept direct online entries from athletes.
But the move hasn’t gone down well with a few southern States, which apparently voiced their opposition during the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) executive committee meeting in New Delhi recently.
Aimed at improving qualitySpeaking to The Hindu here on Wednesday, AFI secretary C.K. Valson said the decision was aimed at improving the quality of competition; it would also ensure that host associations spent significantly less on accommodation of athletes and officials.
“They (host association) can use the entry fees to provide better facilities for the cream of the athletes in terms of technical conduct of the event,” he said.
Normally, hosting an event like the Federation Cup incurs an expenditure of Rs. 25 to 30 lakh. The experimental move, if it succeeds, Valson said, could persuade more cities to come forward and conduct similar events.
The AFI advisory tells State Associations: “Only individual entries will be accepted and no unit will send entries for the meet.”
It further says that it is mandatory that athletes must have achieved the qualification standard in AFI-recognised meets during 2015 or 2016; moreover, an AFI technical delegate must have been present at the meet. (Valson clarified that the performance in the heats in the junior and senior Nationals between 2015 and 2016 will also be considered).
The stipulation that has put coaches in a quandary pertains to electronic timings. “Our State championships haven’t had electronic timings in the past,” said Tamil Nadu coach Md. Riaz.
“Young athletes who have made the qualification marks in State meets with manual timings can’t find a place in the Federation Cup, which is unfortunate.
“However, if they have made the qualification mark in National School Games or National inter-university meets which have started using electronic timings recently, they can take part.”
M.V. Rajasekar, the former National champion hurdler who is now a noted coach, said: “It has come as a big shock. The rules regarding electronic timings and individual entries should have been done in a phased manner, not with undue haste.”
With individual entries, Rajasekar said, the departments / units which sponsor or recruit athletes would move away from the sport.
“When athletes run without a banner, who will come forward to support them? And how many States can afford electronic timings? This will reduce participation which is not good for the sport,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Athletics Association secretary C. Latha raised another issue: “If an athlete is injured last year but is fit this year and wants to take part, how can he or she do it?”
TNAA president W.I. Davaram said, however, that the new regulations were a sign of the times. “It will create problems,” he said, “but it’s okay. It will take time to adjust.”
The qualification standards:
Men: 100m: 11s; 200m: 22.50s; 400m: 49s; 800m: 1:54.00s; 1500m: 3:56.00; 5000m: 15:00.00; 110m Hurdles: 15.10; 400m Hurdles: 54.50; 3000m steeplechase: 9:20.00.
Long jump: 7m; Triple jump: 14.80; High jump: 2.00m; Pole vault: 4.30m; Shot put: 16.00m; Discus throw: 46.00m; Hammer throw: 56.00; Javelin: 65.00; Decathlon: 5500 pts.
Women: 100m: 13s; 200m: 25.80s; 400m: 58.50s; 800m: 2:18.00s; 1500m: 4:56.00; 5000m: 20:00.00s; 10000m: 40:00.00; 100m Hurdles: 15.50s; 400m Hurdles: 1:07.00; 3000m steeplechase: 12:30.00.
Long jump: 5.60m; Triple jump: 11.50m; High jump: 1.50m; Pole vault: 3m; Shot put: 12.50m; Discus: 40.00; Hammer throw: 45.00; Javelin throw: 40.00; Heptathlon: 4500 pts.
