The Hindu : AAFI plans better exposure for athletes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 08, 2003

Sport

Sport - Athletics

AAFI plans better exposure for athletes

By Our Special Correspondent

JAMSHEDPUR SEPT. 7. The Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) has taken the success of long jumper Anju B. George at the World championship in right earnest. It is now planning to send more senior athletes to take part in World level meets rather than Asian level.

The federation has also identified certain disciplines to focus at considering the Indian athletes' strengths.

Addressing newspersons here on Saturday, Mr. Lalit Bhanot, the AAFI secretary, said that the AAFI would plumb for more foreign coaches with the support of the government or otherwise.

"We firmly believe that our athletes are good in certain disciplines. Therefore, we should shift our focus to these events for better results,'' he said.

He said from now onward events like 400m, 800m, discus and 4 x 400m relay for men and women, shot put men, 1,500m, high jump, long jump and heptathlon for women would be given more thrust in terms of coaching and foreign exposure.

On widely prevalent doping, the AAFI secretary said it was a world-wide problem and India was not an exception. He said the only way to check the menace was to intensify the vigil especially at the junior level.

The secretary said the Indian contingent would be around 40 for the Manila ATF.

He said to unearth talent at the grass root level the AAFI had decided to introduce a new meet, National inter-district championship for under-14 and 16 boys and girls. Originally allotted to Patna, this meet had been shifted to Allahabad to be held November.

Every district in the country would be encouraged to conduct competition. A district team would be allowed to send a team of 13 competitors and two officials for the National meet. An AAFI technical team would pick the talented ones from this meet for better training under foreign coaches under the ongoing National junior programme.

Mr. Bhanot said approximately 200 districts were expected to take part in the meet.

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