The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : MGU unhappy with new format

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Sport - Athletics

MGU unhappy with new format

Principal Correspondent

KOCHI: Just a few weeks ago, defending champion Mahatma Gandhi University’s road to the national varsities athletics title was bright and clear. In fact, it even appeared to be strewn with roses.

But a little after landing at Annamalai University, Chidambaram, for the all-India inter-university championship which begins on Sunday, the Kottayam-based team found that the thorns have suddenly popped out.

“After landing here, we came to know that the format to calculate the overall championship has been changed,” said P.I. Babu, the MGU men’s team coach.

“Till last year, the top three finishers in the individual and relay events were given points and the team with the maximum points won the overall title. But this time, the team with the maximum number of golds will get the title. Our chances of retaining the overall title are very difficult now.”

Mahatma Gandhi is without its biggest stars here. The team’s mile relay runner Sini Jose is in Qatar for the Indian preparatory camp for the Olympics while Asian Indoor Games middle-distance medallist A. Vijila (stress fracture) and inter-State 400m champion K.M. Mohammed Naseem (hamstring) have pulled out with injuries.

The new championship system, which follows the Olympic format where the country with the maximum number of gold medals tops the medals tally, has added to its woes.

But K. Vaidyanathan, host Annamalai University’s Director, Sports, said that the AIU (Association of Indian Universities) had informed the universities about the changes in October itself.

“The AIU, being a part of the Athletic Federation of India, has decided to follow the AFI rules in this,” said Mr Vaidyanathan.

But the AIU had been rather vague in its letter, said Binu George Varghese, Mahatma Gandhi University’s Assistant Director of Physical Education.

Mahatma Gandhi, strong in the women’s section, will be hoping to collect maximum pointsfrom the middle and long distance events. “The relays will be very crucial,” said Thankachan Mathew, the university’s women’s team coach.

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