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Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
AFI sets new norms for private training centres
New Delhi: India's track and field athletes are preparing for the season this year at various private and government run training centres as per Athletics Federation of India (AFI) ambitious plan to give them the freedom to train at centres of their choice. AFI has also done away with long-duration training camps except for relay teams. Praveen Chithravel . (Getty Images) The idea is to create an open and competitive training environment and broaden the talent pool. Senior AFI officials feel the plan to decentralise training is showing results as is evident from performance at the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea, where Indian athletes scooped up 24 medals finishing second in medal tally behind China. However, AFI is also facing some teething troubles in monitoring the athletes and has decided to put in place a mechanism to deal with that. In a meeting with various stakeholders, including government and private entities, AFI set several guidelines that these training centres will have to follow. The federation has already issued directions to athletes to get their training and competition programme cleared by them in case they want to head overseas. AFI said there is a growing trend of athletes choosing to train and compete abroad with funding and support from Target Olympic Podium Scheme and institutes like Reliance and JSW, who run their own centres. But when it comes to major international competitions their performances have dipped. The Paris Olympics were a big lesson for the AFI. Long jumper Jeswin Aldrin, Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, Javelin throwers Kishore Jena and Annu Rani were among those who failed to deliver in Paris. They weren't even close to their best. Now, the federation doesn't want to make the same mistake with the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games scheduled next year. 'We want to ensure that athletes train with a target in mind, and not aimlessly go for overseas competitions. When you are competing abroad, you don't belong to JSW or Reliance, you belong to India,' said AFI spokesperson and former president Adille Sumariwalla. Chithravel, who equalled his national record of 17.37m this season, went for a few meets in Spain without AFI's permission. 'The point is that they just go and then perform badly. If you are a coach, all we are saying is tell us the annual programme. Which meets you will compete in India and which meet you will compete outside. Why do you want to go to a particular meet and train?' Sumariwalla said the Mission Olympic Cell does not give approval to athlete training abroad without AFI permission. 'Earlier there were cases where MOC had given permission even when AFI did not agree and all those athletes failed. Now, they take our approval,' he said. AFI also said that Indian coaches have a big role to play in pushing athletes to train outside because of their own interest. 'We have a full fledged calendar now in alignment with the world athletics calendar, so why do you want to compete outside? The standard of some of these tournaments are so low. In India you will get better competition,' said senior AFI official Lalit Bhanot to stakeholders. 'Neeraj Chopra trains outside because of a reason. Jyothi Yarraji can train and compete in meets outside because she doesn't have much competition at home but I can't understand why our jumpers and throwers are so eager to go out,' the seasoned administrator said. He said that participating in state meets and national championships is now mandatory and AFI has even set qualifying standards for its important domestic events. AFI has also started the process of registering coaches to track which athletes are being trained by whom. 'Some of these coaches are into manipulation, they encourage doping. They are also changing their wards from one training centre to another by taking money,' said Bhanot. AFI chief coach Radhakrishan Nair said coaches have to be very sure of periodisation. 'In the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, we had some wonderful performances. For example, Jeswin jumped 8.47m and Praveen did 17.37m. Going by their performance as a coach I would feel that at the Olympics, the jumpers would do better but we all know what happened in Paris,' said the chief coach. 'So we should have a combined plan. We can't just send our athletes to compete in events abroad without a plan. The stakeholders have to justify why they are participating. Recent studies show there is no one method of periodization. Next season we have CWG and Asian Games, and we need to sit together and chart out which events we need to give importance to and accordingly set training plans,' he said.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
AFI plans robust monitoring system to prepare Indian athletes for 2026 international events
Nagpur: The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) established a comprehensive monitoring system to enhance the performance of the Indian track and field team for the 2026 Commonwealth and Asian Games. The 2026 Commonwealth Games are scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, while the Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4 in Japan. Eleven months following the decentralisation of national coaching camps after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games held in France from July 26 to August 11, the results were promising at the Gumi Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, held from May 27 to 31, and in domestic competitions, according to AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla. During a one-day meeting in New Delhi on Friday with all stakeholders, including govt and private entities, Sumariwalla addressed the successful decentralisation training model. He noted initial concerns regarding doping and declining performance as top athletes trained at various centres across the country post-decentralisation. "But both issues were successfully tackled due to a good monitoring system," Sumariwalla, vice president of World Athletics, said. He added, "The national team finished second with 24 medals, eight of them gold, behind China in the medal tally at the continental meet. Several national records were also improved in Gumi, which augurs well for the future." To achieve significant impact in continental and global track and field events, Sumariwalla urged all stakeholders to collaborate. "There is a large pool of over 1,000 athletes, including elite training across various centres. All stakeholders, including departments and private entities, should work in tandem for the holistic development of track and field in the country," he emphasized. Sumariwalla also called on stakeholders to adhere strictly to AFI guidelines on the annual competition calendar to provide more opportunities for promising athletes. "Domestic competition has become more competitive. AFI has also introduced regional competitions. Private institutions and govt departments should encourage athletes to compete on home ground rather than send them abroad to participate in low-key events," he added. Addressing the issue of doping, Sumariwalla urged all stakeholders to take strict action against offenders. "AFI has a no needle policy and zero tolerance towards doping. Accountability of officials and coaches at the district and state levels whose athletes test positive for performance-enhancing drugs should be enforced. Strict punishment will act as a deterrent."
NDTV
a day ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Athletics Federation Of India Conceptualising Robust Monitoring System To Enhance Performance
With the Asian and Commonwealth Games lined up next year, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is planning to implement a "robust monitoring system" to enhance the performance of its athletes and increase the number of medals. Indian track and field athletes have traditionally done well at the Asian Games and the AFI wants to take that success a few notches higher at the 2026 continental showpiece in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan and also improve the tally in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. AFI has been encouraged by the fact that nearly 11 months after the decentralisation of the national coaching camps post the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the overall results showed marked improvement at the Asian Championships in South Korea last month and the domestic competitions. AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said there were fears that the decentralised training model could be counterproductive, but, on the contrary, there have been a lot of positives. "There was apprehension of doping and not-so-encouraging performance as top athletes were training across the country at different centres after decentralisation. But both the issues were successfully tackled due to a good monitoring system," said Sumariwalla, World Athletics vice-president, during a meeting with government and private entities on the successful decentralisation training model, on Friday. "The national team finished second with 24 medals, eight of them gold behind China in the medal tally in the continental meet. Several national records were also improved in Gumi (Asian Championships), which augurs well for the future," he added. He urged the stakeholders to work together for the common good of athletics. "There is a big pool of over 1,000 athletes, including elite training across various centres. All the stakeholders, including departments and private entities, should work in tandem for holistic development of track and field in the country." He asked the stakeholders to strictly follow AFI guidelines on annual competition calendar to give more opportunities to promising athletes. "Domestic competition has become more competitive. AFI has also introduced regional competitions. Private institutions and government departments should encourage athletes to compete on home ground rather than send athletes abroad to compete in low key events," he added. On the doping menace, Sumariwalla urged the stakeholders to stay vigilant. "AFI has no needle policy and zero tolerance to doping. But accountability of the officials/coaches at the district/state level whose athletes test positive for performance enhancing drugs should be fixed. Strict punishment will act as a deterrent," he added. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
AFI's priority list: Increased scrutiny on athletes competing overseas, food supplements
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has advised private players, who manage athletes in the new decentralised training model, to refrain from sending them to low-key overseas competitions. Nearly a year after the decentralisation of the national coaching camps, post 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the AFI said there was significant increase in meet records, a jump in the number of athletes who qualified for the Asian Championships and a spike in the medal count at the continental event. However, there have been teething problems as the training centres increased from three to 18, including those run by JSW, Reliance, Army, Navy, Airforce, state governments and the six National Centre of Excellence. 'The decentralised training model has worked but there are things we have to improve. It is difficult to manage athletes in the decentralised system. We have put restrictions on sending the athletes abroad for training as well as competitions. It has become a fashion for coaches to go aboard and they take athletes also. We should sit and discuss if an athlete should go abroad or not. There are foreign coaches who feel it is too hot in the Indian summer and they want to go abroad. So they plan a trip to Europe. We have to be very careful,' AFI's planning commission chairman Lalith Bhanot said. He was speaking at a one-day meeting in New Delhi with all stakeholders, including government and private entities, on the decentralisation training model. Top athletes like javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and 100 metre hurdler Jyothi Yarraji competing overseas are justified because they don't have quality competitors in the country, but others should not rush to compete abroad just for the sake of it, Bhanot said. 'There are some athletes who are outstanding, they need to train abroad, like in the case of Neeraj. I can understand if Jyothi is going abroad because there is no competition here. But I don't understand why our javelin throwers have to go abroad when there are 10 competitions here and there are 10 athletes crossing 80 metres. In 400 metres, if an athlete is participating in a race where the timings (of competitors) are below 45 (seconds) I can understand. But if they have to participate in a race where the athletes are running 47-plus, why should they go. What is the purpose of sending an athlete for a competition which is of very low standard,' Bhanot said. The AFI planning commission chairman also gave the example of Sachin Yadav, the Asian Championships silver medalist. 'There are agents who fixed two competitions for him in Finland. Proposal went to the TOPS that he will travel to Finland. How can TOPS say no when he has thrown 85 metres. I told him, you train here, there is no need to go anywhere. The agent started calling me. The agent will get money if he participates. He is a new boy, he has no pressure at all. I have seen him throw 90 metres in training. Moreover, the coaches are also interested in going abroad,' Bhanot added. The AFI is also keeping a close watch on the dependence on supplements by athletes and has also told the Sports Authority of India that most junior athletes do not need supplements. When it comes to senior athletes, the AFI plans to short-list genuine suppliers and only provide supplements to the top senior athletes. 'Most of the food supplements we get now are less about supplements and more about doping risk,' Bhanot said. He also said that there were coaches who sold supplements meant for athletes in the open market. An Army coach at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala was fired after he was caught selling supplements. 'There is a coach who took food supplements in a tempo and sold it. There were so many food supplements boxes in his room in NIS Patiala that he didn't have a place to sleep. It is a wrong concept that all athletes need supplements. We have told SAI that juniors do not need food supplements. It is a fashion that has come in from the gyms,' Bhanot said. AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said that most supplements get contaminated when they are imported and then repacked in India. 'In India, when it is repacked they add anabolic steroids so more people will buy it. It is a complex issue.'
The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Avinash Sable eyes personal best and World Championship redemption
Fit again after recovering from a nagging calf injury that plagued him for over a year, India's premier 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable has his sights firmly set on bettering his personal best in the upcoming meets, the foremost being the World Championship in September. The reigning Asian Games champion has been undergoing high altitude training in Ooty and also sharpening his form at the Sports Authority of India's Southern Centre here this season. "Last year was not good, it didn't even look like I'll be able to perform well. But this year I am competing in the Diamond League, so preparation (for the World Championship) is good," Sable told a select group of reporters here. "My target is to notch my personal best, closer to eight minutes. 15 days are left of training, I think I will be able to go near eight." The 30-year-old was battling a calf injury since the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. He opened his 2025 season with a time of of 8:22.59sec at the Xiamen Diamond League, followed by an 8:23.85sec effort in Shaoxing. However, he bounced back by clinching gold at the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea in May afer clocking an improved 8:20.92sec. "Preparations are going well. I was injured in the opening of the season. But despite that I participated in two Diamond League events in China. "The results weren't good because of the injury. Then I competed in the Asian Championship to boost my confidence. I started training in November, the off season also went well. I faced a lot of trouble due to injuries last season. "I had a calf injury, there was a lot of pain in my right calf and hamstring. It started after the Asian Games and continued the entire year. The pain was there till January-February this year " The 30-year-old had failed to reach the final at the last World Championships, finishing a disappointing seventh in his heat. But this time, he's determined to do better. "At the World Championships, I want to improve my position from last time. This year I have worked on finishing the race, mileage etc." It's been nearly a year since Sable clocked the national record of 8:09.91sec, and the Armyman remains focused on breaching the coveted eight-minute barrier. "Yes I want to do it. It won't happen soon but I think I'll be able to improve my personal best," Sable conceded. In the build-up to the World Championships in September, The two-time Olympian plans to compete in a few more meets, including two Diamond League events. "I will compete in the steeplechase event in the Morocco Diamond League next month and then I will play another Diamond League and a competition in India. Focus will be to do well at Worlds." Sable is currently managing his training programme under the guidance of Athletic Federation of India coach Kalyan Chaudhari. "Kalyan Chaudhari (AFI coach) is helping me. I have made my own plans, and he suggests things. The training with Scott (Simmons) wasn't suitable for my body. So I decided that I will do it a little differently. "The training with Nikolai (Snesarev) coach worked well for me so I'm continuing with that. Haven't spoken for a longtime coach and will continue like this, this season," he said. Following the Morocco Diamond League, Sable plans to stay back there and train in Ifrane. "I was looking at Africa to train, Morocco is nice," he added.
