CHENNAI: The International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) executive board meeting scheduled in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 17 and 18 will go on amid the global coronavirus outbreak. But there is a tweak. Most of the members, including the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) president Birendra Prasad Baishya, will attend the meeting over video conference.
“The government has put visa restrictions in place in the wake of the rapid rise in the number of coronavirus cases across the globe. The travel advisory issued by the government has also advised Indians from avoiding foreign trips, which is why I decided to attend the meeting over video conference,” Baishya told this daily. “Not only me, more than 90 per cent of the members are expected to do it over video conference,” the official added.
The IWF has postponed or cancelled four of the five planned continental championships in the last two weeks due to the fast-spreading disease, which in turn has impacted its qualification system for the 2020 Tokyo Games. In its bid to provide a fair chance to every athlete to qualify for the Games, the IWF sport commission met on Saturday to identify ways to modify the existing qualification system. Recommendations in this regard will also be presented to the executive board during the meeting.
“The IWF has issued guidelines for the events affected by coronavirus. The Lausanne meeting is aimed at providing clear guidelines to the athletes, who are trying to qualify for the quadrennial event,” said Baishya.