Updated 2 October 2020 at 10:19 IST
Athletics Federation of India cancels national championships in wake of COVID-19 crisis
The AFI hopes that the next season, which will be crucial for Olympics qualification for a number of athletes, will be a normal one.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on September 30 announced that this year's national championships have been cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19. This move was on expected lines after AFI on August 28 decided to delay the season. Previously, the competition was scheduled to begin from September 12. The only worthwhile event at a senior level this year would be national throws open championship which will be held in Patiala on October 26 and 27. Zonal events and national youth championships in Vijaywada in December are among few other competitions which will take place this year.
READ | Players Unsure About Resumption Of International Calender, Causing Lag In Training: Gopichand
AFI: National championship cancelled due to COVID-19
“The competition calendar was re-drawn keeping in mind the rise in the COVID-19 cases across the country…AFI is duty bound to provide competitions to our athletes but due to the prevailing circumstances we have to take care of the safety of our athletes,” AFI President Adille Sumariwalla said in a release.
AFI hopes that the upcoming season, which will be important for Olympic qualification for a number of athletes, will be a normal one with the first-ever Indian Prix in Thiruvananthapuram kick-starting from February 12, 2021. According to the calendar issued by AFI, the second and third Grand Prix events will be held on February 19 and 27 in Thiruvananthapuram and Patiala. The 2021 Federation Cup Senior National Championships will be held between March 10-14 and the National Inter-State Senior Atheltic Championships will be held in Bengaluru between June 25-29. The AFI's calender also revealed that the first National Under-23 Championships in New Delhi will be from August 24.
COVID-19 outbreak in India
As the number of Coronavirus cases continues to surge globally, India has breached the 63 lakh mark. So far, India has recorded over 63,12,584 cases of which 52,73,201 have recovered and 98,678 have lost the battle against the pandemic. As per the latest updates from MoHFW, in the past 24 hours, 86821 new COVID-19 cases and 1181 deaths have been recorded. Currently, the total number of active Coronavirus cases in the country is 9,40,705.
(With agency inputs)
Published By : Gargi Rohatgi
Published On: 2 October 2020 at 10:19 IST