THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The inter-state athletics championship beginning at Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur on Saturday doesn’t hold much significance for those who have already qualified for the World Championship coming up in London.
“Those who have already qualified will enter to improve their performance,” reads a statement from Athletics Federation of India (AFI) chief CK Valson.
That’s it. The event serves no other purpose. Participation has still been made mandatory for the sake of star value.
However, seasoned athletes who have made the London cut say their participation is ensured at the price of their preparation for the big event. Some top athletes, all national campers, said the food they got in the hotel arranged by local organisers was sub-standard.
A national camper, who won a medal in the recent Asian Championship, had to eat dosa and chutney for breakfast because those where the only items available.
“We had to adjust,” the athlete told Express. Another said since the hotel was far away, they had to travel a lot to buy fruits.
“Either the event should have been held in Bhubaneswar, where the Asian Championship was held, or those who have already made the cut should have been exempted. In Bhubaneswar, elite athletes could have used the good facilities.
It will be difficult to manage the diet of elite athletes in such a domestic meet,” a national coach opined.
As per convention, organisers are only supposed to provide accommodation for national campers. Food has to be taken care of by states the athletes are representing.
So athletes used to proper diet in national camps are at the mercy of state bodies when they take part in inter-state events. For elite athletes, this means trouble. Most state associations are yet to give them advance cash for dietary expenses.
“At NIS Patiala, we get good food. The quality was good in Bhubaneswar also. But here I’m finding it tough even to get fruit juice,” another athlete said.
Andhra Pradesh Athletics Association secretary AV Raghavendra said the state associations have to provide food and athletes can claim travel and daily allowances from their associations. “We can only help them get subsidised food. The amount has to be spent by the states,” he said.
Deputy national chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair echoed the same, but AFI sources said they don’t expect state associations to do so on elite athletes. Then why force the cream of athletes, who don’t have much to do, into an event that might affect their Worlds preparations? That’s a question AFI needs to answer.
shan.as@newindianexpress.com