BHUBANESWAR: Participation in the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Patiala cleared in the eleventh hour, sprinter Dutee Chand is not sure if the level of competition in would be good enough for her to secure Olympic qualification. She is not happy also with the fact that the athletes have to pay an entry fee and arrange own travel bookings to take part in the event on March 20.
“Earlier, I had plans to take part in different competitions in Europe for which I had obtained visa. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is not possible to go to those places now. It’s also impossible to touch the required timings in the Indian GP. There are only eight entries in my category there and none of them are quality runners. So it will not be a high-quality competition. I will only be able improve my ranking points,” said Dutee on Tuesday.
India’s fastest woman also said the federation should have taken better care of the athletes who are participating in the Indian GP. “It’s not fair that the federation should conduct a meet only for campers. The government is introducing various schemes to promote sports and sporting sporting talent across the country. But it reflects a sorry state of affairs if the athletes have to take care of the to and fro fare, boarding and pay an entry fee. The federation must understand that many athletes in our country belong to lower middle-class families.”
She also sounded critical of the AFI’s decision to go ahead with the meet at a time when sporting events in India and across the globe are getting cancelled. “In an Olympic year, the coronavirus outbreak has caused dark clouds over the career of many athletes. Many federations in our country have postponed events following guidelines issued by the government. I cannot understand why the AFI is conducting such a low-standard event at this hour.”
The AFI’s decision to allow only national campers in the Indian GP barring a few exceptions like Dutee and to scrap the men’s 100m and some other events have also not been received well by other athletes. Among them is India’s fastest man, Amiya Kumar Mallick. “Many sprinters aspiring to achieve Olympic qualification had enrolled for the Indian GP online, by paying entry fees. But at the nick of time the 100m event has been left off the list. All the efforts that I had put in for years is going to be wasted. It is a heartbreaking information for me. I do not know why the federation has taken such a decision,” said Mallick.