ATHLETICS FEDERATION OF

Annual Calendar for Training & Competitions 2016-17

Indian Athletics Indian Athletics

INDEX INDEX

Introduction to ACTC 2016-17 1

2016 Rio Olympics : At a glance 4

About the AFI 6

Programmes and Policies 7

AFI's Activities 10

Elite Athletes Training and Competitions 10

Conducting National Championships 11

Technical Officials Education 12

Performance in International Competitions 2015-16 13

Coaches Education Programme 17

Elite Junior Talent Programme 18

Challenges for Indian Athletics 24

Medical Commission 25

Centre of Excellence 25

Accolades 26

ACTC Submission for 2016-17 27

Annexures 43 Indian Athletics

ACTC – 2016-17: AN INTRODUCTION

PERFORMANCE and winning medals in the require advance planning, preparations and timely support and intervention to ensure that an Olympic medal is won through a durable and diligent process and not by freak luck.

After an impressive show in the 2010 and 2010 for which preparations and funding had commenced at least six years in advance for Indian athletics, there was an inexplicable lull in activities and lack of support from key stakeholders in the interim. However, taking the setback into its strides, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) took a slew of bold steps and initiatives to rejuvenate Indian Athletics from 2013-15. As a result, the Indian Athletics Team performed credibly in all the three age categories – Senior, Juniors and Youth – at prestigious international c,hampionships in the last two-and-half years.

The Indian Team bagged 13 Medals at the , one more than their tally in the previous edition, including 1 Games Record in the women's 4x400m relay, won 3 Medals at the 2014 CWG, where the top-5 nations of the Olympic Games also competed in athletics, finished third in the overall medal tally of the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships, garnered 26 Medals at the 2015 Asian Grand Prix Series, surprised everyone by winning a Medal in the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships, finished second in the number of medals at the 2015 Asian Youth Championships, produced a couple of sterling performances to reach the finals in the women's 3000m steeplechase and men's shot put in the 2015 IAAF World Championships, all this, hopefully, to build up a promising and positive momentum for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in August.

The Indian Athletes have entered the final phase of their training for Rio. In comparison to 2012 Olympic Games, where 14 Indian Athletes had qualified for the Olympics, this time, the Federation is aiming to clinch 35-38 berths (below is the list of athletes who have already qualified at the time this report was compiled). CHALLENGES AND HURDLES

To get the right permutation and combination in order to produce excellence is perhaps one of the most critical challenges facing Indian Athletics. Whereas a lot of support and encouragement has been received in the last one year from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), it is necessary to keep in mind that delay in appointment of foreign experts, support staff or delays in commencing training sessions due to absence of proper infrastructure (track installation at NIS Bangalore, which is a key training centre, is expected to be completed anytime now in the year of the Olympics), purchase of chemical anlayser, clearances for competitions and training abroad can prove to be a dampner to all the other shining examples of good support being provided by the key stakeholders. To expect the Indian Athletes to reach dizzy heights in a sport, where more than 2,000 elite athletes from more than 204 countries are likely to participate in 2016 Olympics, making it arguably the most competitive discipline, there is an urgent need to reassess the types of support being provided and the process of clearances being followed currently in this regard.

Here are some of the key areas which have been identified as critical for the success of the ACTC planning for 2016-17 and beyond, at the time of the compilation of this report: Indian Athletics

FOREIGN EXPOSURE FOR ATHLETES

Before any major competition the athletes require some build-up competitions and some strong competition which help them to enhance their performance at the right time as well as to boost up their confidence by competing with better competitors. Although, it's difficult to manage entry for the athletes in a high-level competition at a short notice in the absence of some planned budget, the AFI has already submitted the training-cum-competition for Rio. We need to take decision today itself because the international exposure as well as the training is imperative to achieve outstanding performance in the forthcoming Games. Delay in any decision will jeopardize the entire process.

Hiring Foreign Chiro-cum-Masseur-cum-Physio & Female Masseur

In modern sports, the role of recovery expert and masseurs is not less than the role of the coach or the talent of the athletes. The decision for appointing a foreign female masseur was taken in a meeting chaired by DG SAI on September 29, 2015, but so far the appointment of female masseur has not been done. But now to bring the athletes in final shape to attain the high level performance it is absolutely necessary that the clearance of the foreign women masseur is given today in the meeting itself. Similarly, a request which was initiated in April, 2015, for appointing a foreign expert chiro-cum-physio-cum-masseur was accepted and forwarded by SAI to the Ministry of Youth Affairs is yet to see the light of the day as of today. It is, hence, requested that both the appointments be considered for implementation immediately by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Food Supplements

Food supplements play a key role for the athletes to enhance the recovery process as well to attain a high-level performance. It is unfortunate to say that no athletes in the National Coaching camp received food supplements from October 1, 2015. The procuring procedure for Federation was difficult as per the SAI norms, so it requested that in this meeting itself the decision should be taken for procurement and supply of food supplements. It was mentioned by the AFI President in a meeting chaired by Secretary, MYAS, in March to review the Olympics preparations that each sport has different requirements and comparing the food supplements required for to athletics, which has 47 different track and field events, is like comparing apples to oranges.

Junior Programme to Nurture NexGen Elite Athletes

Junior Programme is considered to be the backbone of the entire athletics edifice, no programme is complete if it is not properly backed by the junior program. Therefore, it is imperative that the training process of the juniors should continue to improve upon the level of Junior Athletes which will help them ultimately become champions of tomorrow. If there is no inflow of the athletes into the seniors camp, it will be difficult to improve upon the performance in the next edition of the Games. Indian Athletics

In the last few years, no junior programme was funded by the Government; it was the sole efforts of the AFI which organised the junior competition, including the introduction of the IAAF Kids Athletics, the National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meets, the Zonal Junior Competitions and Junior Level Competitions. This year, the AFI is planning to launch the National School Athletics Championship which will help us to identify and nurture more young talent from the grass roots. If we aim to win medal in Olympics it is necessary that apart from the Olympics core probables, the others should be trained right from a young age and appropriate level of attention should be given to ensure their improvement in the practical and technical sense and all necessary support including good amenities at the camp and competition exposure should be given to them. Hence, it is important that the proposal of AFI is taken seriously and urgent sanction is solicited.

Basic Incentives for Athletes

Daily allowance or pocket allowance for the athletes and officials attending the International competition and training was not disbursed in the year 2015 for the competitions abroad. The athletes and officials participated in Asian Youth Championship, World Youth Championship, Asian Athletics Championship, World Athletics Championship, Asian Grand Prix Series and Asian Indoor Athletics Championship. Decision may be taken at the earliest to disburse these allowances.

Upgrading Coaches Courses to Global/IAAF Standard

Introducing a standard and uniform coaching manuals and implementing them on the ground to the athletes across the country is one of the important steps being proposed for this year in cohesion with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and SAI. A series of discussions have taken place in this regard between the AFI and SAI,DG, to bring IAAF experts to conduct IAAF Coaches Courses Level I, 2, 3, and 4 to ensure that coaches training in NS NIS Centres and others also acquire the globally certified courses knowledge, which will immensely benefit Indian Athletics in the long run. The AFI has already planned to conduct an IAAF coaches course in the state of Tamil Nadu in April-May, 2016. It is, therefore, requested that along with the creation of a Centre of Excellence for Athletics in Delhi, the IAAF Coaches Courses for Indian coaches across the country should be given due emphasis in this ACTC. Indian Athletics

2016 Rio Olympic Games – An Overview The following events mentioned below are the identified events for 2016 Olympic Games:

Athletes Qualified For Olympics On April 4, 2016 Indian Athletics Indian Athletics

The Athletics Federation of India

(AFI) is the apex national body for running and managing track and field events, road and mountain races. The Federation's office is headquartered in New Delhi while the current President and Secretary General are based in Mumbai and Chennai respectively. The AFI is affiliated to the world body, the IAAF, the Continental body, Asian Athletics Association, SAF Athletics, and also to the Indian Olympic Association. The AFI's primary task is to promote athletics in India, provide encouragement to young athletes by running junior talent identification programmes and competitions, to nurture elite and budding athletes by conducting National Championships, create training modules and training of the National Team in camps in different age categories for participation in international competitions, maintain records of the performance of athletes in National Championships, run and administer athletics in the true spirit of sports, adhere to international sports laws and practice, to put in place an effective mechanism to stop the menace of doping and overage and promote athletics in an attractive manner. The AFI runs its activities in an efficient and timely manner with the help of its 29 affiliated State Units and boards. The AFI has established an unique method to promote sports at the grass root level in more than 600 districts in India by running a National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meet in the Under-16 and Under-14 age categories.

Current Office Bearers Indian Athletics

AFI's Programmes & Policies

The AFI is of the firm view that there should be total transparency in its functioning and dealing as a responsible public body for sports. Towards this aim, the Federation has involved many outstanding sportspersons of yesteryears, primarily the Arjuna Award winners and some eminent sports administrators in its day-to-day functioning. Both the Selection Committee for Senior and Junior comprise of a majority of Arjuna Award winners which shows the Federation's concern for involving elite athletes in decision-making and the need for transparency in the team selection process.

The selection of athletes for participation in various international championships and the National Coaching Camps is made by the AFI Selection Committee. It is ensured by the Selection Committee and also the Federation that no deserving athlete is ignored and gets the right he/she deserves, be it for the coaching camps or representing the country in international competitions.

It is ensured that more and more deserving and promising junior athletes are included in the coaching camps for seniors. Providing these athletes an opportunity to participate in senior meets has been main agenda of the Federation. The continuity in training and participation in more and more completions, involvement of foreign coaches, ensuring better facilities in the coaching camps with adequate support staff has been the main focus of the Federation.

The AFI has always been serious in ensuring that the technical conduct of the meet is perfect in all respects and also that the IAAF/AFI-approved equipments are used in the Meets. Using electronic gadgets; viz photo finish camera etc. has been made compulsory. It is also ensured that all the athletes are provided better accommodation and other facilities during the competition.

The Federation puts special emphasis on ensuring that all the State units adhere to the following factors: Ensure that State competition calendar is prepared in line with National Calendar and sent to AFI · Organise state Meets for seniors and juniors in the allotted slot · Appoint Chief Coach and send the name to the federation · Constitute Selection Committees · Constitute Technical Committees and intimate the name of the Chairman of the Committee to AFI · Select athletes who meet the entry standard fixed by the Federation for participation in all National Meets · Send a copy of minutes of Selection Committee with the entry list · Criteria adopted by Selection Committee for selection of athletes · Ensure that no overage athlete is included in the entry list for participation in junior Meets · Educate the coaches and athletes about disadvantages of the banned substances · Ensure that only AFI approved equipment is used in State Meets · Organise seminars / workshops for coaches and technical officials · Ensure that District Associations organise District Meets and monitor their activities Indian Athletics

· Merit Certificate are handed over to the concerned athletes immediately after they are received from the federation · Conduct election of the Officer Bearers as an when it is due · Submit yearly audited statement of Accounts to the Federation · Ensure that no athlete who is banned due to Doping/Overage is entered for participation in the Meet · Maintain data base of Junior athletes as this will help in curbing overage participation · Constitute verification committees to identify overage athletes · Keep their e-mail id active and open it daily · Send entries for various Meets by target date mentioned in circular

Competition Calendar

The Competition Calendar for the year 2015-16 was completed with very few changes in dates and venues of Zonal Meets and other Meets.

The overall participation of athletes in both senior and junior meets have increased. The number of participants in Junior Meets has tremendously increased which shows that Athletics is spreading across all the corners of the country. However, the participation from the North East State Units is far below expectation. The North East States Units are therefore required to organise State Meets both for Seniors and Juniors regularly so that more and more youngsters are involved in athletics.

It is a healthy sign that many State Units are coming forward to organise National Meets. The State Units which are organising National Meets need to be congratulated for the satisfactory technical conduct and providing better facilities to the participants.

It is felt that we are still lagging behind in providing better accommodation than being provided currently, particularly to Junior athletes who are our future. The improvement in amenities will boost their morale and keep their interest intact in athletics.

The entry standard for participation in all senior and junior Meets is notified every year so that substandard athletes are not entered for participation. The entry standard serves as a level playing field and helps the athletes to give their best performance in the competition. It has, however, been observed that some State Units are still not adhering to the prescribed entry standard and sending substandard athletes for participation. This tendency needs to be curbed.

The competition calendar to the year 2015-16 is attached in Annexure – I.

Coaching Camps

Soon after the conclusion of 2014 Asian Games and , coaching camps for Seniors have continued since then at various SAI centres i.e. NS NIS Patiala, SAI South Centre Bangalore, SAI East Centre Kolkata, Usha School of Athletics, LNCPE Trivandrum, Ooty etc., without any break. Based on the results of Zonal meets, coaching camps for juniors were also organised during the period of the report after a gap of two-three years. Coaching camps for juniors were also organised prior to Asian Youth Indian Athletics

Athletics Championship and Commonwealth Youth Championships. There is also no doubt that athletes are getting excellent facility in the coaching camp and it is now up to them to perform at the international competitions. Technical Committees in States Districts

Almost all the State Units have constituted Technical Committees which are functioning quite effectively. So much so, Technical Committee have also been constituted by some District Athletics Associations. There is no denying the fact that a Technical Committee helps to a great extent in improving the technical conduct of Athletics Meets which in turn benefit the athletes to perform to her/his ability.

The name of States which have constituted Technical Committee are mentioned in Annexure - II Appointing Chief Coaches for States

Almost all the State Units have nominated their own chief coaches. The appointment of the chief coaches helps the State units to plan their activities and implement the programme and policies of the federation. It has also been observed that state units are organising coaching camps for seniors and juniors as well before sending the athletes for participation in the national meets. Nomination of chief coaches and preparation of Annual Competition Calendar in line with that of the Federation will definitely bring efficiency in the working of the State Associations and this will ultimately lend a helping hand in the developmental programmes of the Federation.

The names of the States which have nominated chief coaches are mentioned in Annexure - III Proper utilisation of foreign coaches

Foreign coaches engaged by the Federation have undoubtedly played a vital role in enhancement of performance of athletes and overall upliftment of the standard of Indian athletes. The Indian coaches too have delivered well and helped the athletes to perform better and better. Proper monitoring of performance of foreign coaches was done from time to time and only those found suitable in all respects were retained.

The list of foreign and Indian coaches were involved in training of athletes is attached as Annexure - IV Technical conduct of Championships

The technical conduct and examination committee have done extremely good job during the period of the report. FSTO examination was organised in many states besides FTO examination and also NTO examination. Technical delegates and the technical officials were nominated in all the Zonal and National Athletics Championships. The reports received from the Technical Delegates have revealed that there has been tremendous improvement in the technical conduct of the Meets. The technical conduct of Zonal Meets has, however, been a matter of concern. It is hoped that things will improve as a large number of qualified officials are now available with the State Units. However, a positive feature is that AFI-approved equipment is now being used in all the Meets. Indian Athletics

AFI Activities Elite Athletes Training and Competitions

Soon after the conclusion of 2014 Asian Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games, coaching camps for Seniors have continued since then at various SAI centres i.e. NS NIS Patiala, SAI South Centre Bangalore, SAI East Centre Kolkata, Usha School of Athletics, LNCPE Trivandrum, Ooty etc., without any break. Based on the results of Zonal Meets, coaching camps for juniors were also organised during the period of the report after a gap of two-three years. Coaching camps for juniors were also organised prior to Asian Youth Athletics Championship and Commonwealth Youth Championships. There is no doubt that athletes are getting excellent facility in the coaching camp and it is now up to them to perform at the international competitions.

Training-cum-Competition Abroad

The following athletes were sent for training-cum-competition abroad during the period of the report in preparations for Rio Olympics: 1. is training in the US and will continue training up to 2016 Olympics 2. Seema Poonia is also training is also in USA. She will continue to train there till Rio Olympics 3. Six Race Walkers were sent to Portugal from April 1-June 24, 2015. 4. Seventeen athletes for 400M along with four coaches were sent to Turkey from October 17 to December 24, 2015 5. Twenty-three athletes (12 men and 11 women) for 400M and five coaches were sent for the second phase of training in Turkey 6. Eight athletes (long and triple jumpers) and three coaches sent for training in South Africa in April 2016

10 Indian Athletics

Conducting Athletics Championships-2015-16

The National Championships for athletics are held under the aegis of the AFI for the Seniors, Juniors and Youth. Though these championships, the AFI aims to provide competitions and exposure to elite athletes and the budding ones, with the ultimate aim to excel in major international championships like the Olympics, CWG, Asian Games, World and Asian Championships, etc. In 2015-16, the following National level championships were conducted by the AFI: The Federation Cup National Championships for Seniors in Mangalore in May, 2015; the Inter- State National Championships for Seniors in Chennai in June, 2015; and the National Open Championships in Kolkata in September, 2015. The Junior National Championships and the Federation Cup Junior National Championships were held in Ranchi and Hyderabad in August and November 2015 respectively; the National Youth Championships was held in Goa in April, 2015. The AFI's ambitious grass root championships, the National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meet was held to a record entries of 3623 entries at Visakhapatnam, AP in September, 2015. The National Cross Country Championships was held in in January, 2016, while the National Marathon Championships was conducted in New Delhi in February, 2016. The four Zonal Junior Championships were held in Kakinada, Hamirpur, Ajmer and Deogarh. Indian Athletics

Technical Officials Education

The following officials were sent for Technical Officials Examinations and Athletics Seminars and Workshop: 1. Mr. Parveer Singh was sent to attend CBCS level lecturers course at from June 11- 16, 2015 2. Mr. Shafin Mon was deputed to attend manual sports physiotherapy in Track and Field Seminar/workshop at RDC Jakarta from June 15-19, 2015 3. Mr. G. Krishnan was deputed to attend Road Measurer's course at RDC Jakarta from September 25 to October 1, 2015 4. FSTO examination was held at Mangalore from April 4-6, 2015. 45 out of 61candidates were declared successful 5. FSTO examination was held at Kochi and other places from January 15-17, 2016 6. Seminar-cum-Examination for Race Walking Officials was held at Jaipur on February 26, 2016 by Mr. Pierce O' Callaghan from Ireland, IAAF official, Lecturer/examiner. The arrangements made for the seminar including facilities for participants and officials were superb and appreciated by the two foreign delegates who were also present during the Race Walking Competition held on February 27-28, 2016. Indian Athletics

Performance in International Competitions 2015-16

Indian athletes were sent for participation in the under mentioned Athletics Competitions for Seniors and Juniors during the period of the report: 1. African Combined Events Meet in Decathlon & Heptathlon The following athletes were sent for participation in African Confined Events Meet in Decathlon & Heptathlon held at Justin Stadium, Redurt (Mauritius) on April 10-11, 2015. The performance of the athletes is shown against their names:

2. IAAF 20km Race Walking Championships Four men and one woman race walkers were sent for participation in IAAF 20km Race Walking Championships held at Rio (Portugal) on April 19, 2015. The names of the athletes and their performance are mentioned Annexure – V

3. 1st Asian Youth Athletics Championships The inaugural edition of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships was held at Doha (Qatar) from May 8-11, 2015. In all, 22 athletes accompanied by three coaches and a manager were sent for participation. Our athletes gave outstanding performance and won 14 medals, including 2 Gold, 6 Silver and 6 Bronze Medals. The names of the athletes are mentioned in Annexure – VI.

4. 21st Asian Athletics Championships The 21st edition of the Asian Athletics Championships was held at Wuhan () from June 3-7, 2015. A total number of 47 athletes (Men-25, Women-22) accompanied by officials/coaches/support staff/managers were sent for participation in this championships. Our athletes won 13 Medals, including 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 4 Bronze to finish third in the overall medal tally in the Continent. The names of the athletes who won medals and other athletes are mentioned in Annexure – VII. Indian Athletics

5. IAAF Race Walking Challenge The IAAF Race Walking Challenge Cup was held on June 6, 2015. Three Race walkers were sent for participation in this competition. The names of the athletes are mentioned in Annexure – VIII.

6. Asian Grand Prix Series 2015 The three-leg Asian Grand Prix series was held in Thailand from June 22 to 29. In all, 26 athletes were selected for participation in this competition. The details of the competitions and medals won by our athletes are given below:

The names of athletes who won medals and those who could not win medals are mentioned in Annexure - IX

7. The Commonwealth Youth Games were held at from September 5-12, 2015. In all, 10 athletes (five boys and five girls athletes) were sent for participation in this Championships. Our athletes put up a superb performance and won 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals. Two of our athletes created New National Records and One athlete established a New Meet Record. The names of these athletes are as under:

The names of all the athletes along with their performance are shown in Annexure X. Indian Athletics

8. IAAF World Youth Championships The IAAF World Youth Championships was held at Cali (Colombia) from July 15-19, 2015. Fourteen athletes, including 10 boys and 4 girls accompanied by a coach were sent for participation in this championships. Our athletes performed well but could not win any medal.

The names of athletes/official who were sent for participation are mentioned in Annexure – XI.

9. IAAF World Championships The IAAF World Championships in Athletics was held at Beijing (China) from August 22-30, 2015.

A total number of 18 athletes, including seven men and 11 women who cleared the entry standard fixed by IAAF, were sent for participation in this Championships. An impressive sign was that seven race walkers (five men and two women) had qualified for the IAAF World Championships. Sandeep Kumar created a New National Record in the 50km Race Walk event with a performance of 3.57.03s. Lalita Shivaji Babar finished 8th in the finals of the women's 3000m steeplechase while men shot putter Inderjeet Singh finished 11th in the finals. The names of all the athletes showing their performance are mentioned in Annexure – XII.

10. 2016 The South Asian Games were held at Guwahati / Shillong from February 5-16, 2016. The athletics competitions were held at Guwahati from February 9-12, 2016. A team of 68 athletes, comprising 36 men and 32 women participated in the firs-ever SAF Games held in the north-east region of India. Since the National Campers were in the midst of their training preparation for Rio Olympics, a good number of Junior athletes were also given the opportunity to participate in this competition. In other words, the Indian team selected for these Games was a combination of youth and experience. Overall, the Indian Athletics Team finished on the top of the medal tally, clinching 58 Medals, which included 28 Gold, 22 Silver and 8 Bronze Medals.

The names of all the athletes who won medals and the rest of the members of the team are mentioned in Annexure - XIII

11. Asian Indoor Athletics Championships The Asian Indoor Athletics Championships were held at Doha (Qatar) from February 19-21, 2016. A team of 16 athletes comprising 9 men and 7 women participated in the Championships. Overall, our athletes won 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals. The rest of the athletes in the team were also impressive with their performance and temperament though they did not win a medal. The names of all the athletes along with their performance are mentioned in Annexure – XIV. Indian Athletics

12. Asian Cross Country Championships The Asian Cross Country Championships was held at Manama on February 29, 2016. Three athletes in each section i.e. Men, Women, Junior Men and Junior Women participated in the Championships. The numbers of athletes were reduced from four to three as SAI had sanctioned the team at “No Cost to Govt”. But only if there was more support and the Federation had been able to send four athletes in all the four sections, we could have won 1 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals in the Championships. The names of athletes who were sent for participation are mentioned in Annexure – XV.

13. Asian 20km Race Walking Championships The Asian 20km Race Walking Championships was held at Nomi City (Japan) on March 20, 2016. The nine-member Indian Team comprised of seven men and two women race walkers. The Indian men won a Gold Medal. The names of athlete along with their performance are mentioned in Annexure – XVI.

14. IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships The IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships was held at Portland (USA) from March 17- 20, 2016. Three athletes were selected for participation in this Championships. However, only one athlete i.e. could travel to the US as the remaining two athletes did not get the visa. The names of these athletes with their performance are mentioned in Annexure – XVII. Indian Athletics

Coaches Education Programme

The AFI, under the guidance of the IAAF, has initiated the process for imparting the IAAF Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 courses to Indian coaches. While an agreement between the AFI, IAAF and the Sports Authority for India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been discussed in several meetings for imparting the IAAF courses to coaches in NS NIS Patiala, the project is expected to be implemented in 2016-17. Meanwhile, the AFI has already planned to conduct the IAAF Courses for coaches in the state of Tamil Nadu in April-May, 2016. Indian Athletics

Elite Junior Talent Programme

Youth—Training-cum-Competition 2015-16 The 2015-16 athletics Youth calendar was launched with the conduct of the National Youth Athletics Championships at Goa from April 16-18. This championship was the selection meet for the Asian Youth Athletics Championships and World Youth Athletics Championships. A total of 17 boys and 3 girls had achieved the qualifying mark for the World Youth in this championship.

International Youth Competitions-2015-16

Asian Youth Athletics Championships The selection of athletes for above mentioned competition was set at the 3rd place of Asian Area Qualification –Bangkok, 2014. On the basis of above, the selection panel of AFI recommended 26 athletes and 3 coaches to take part. The selected athletes were called for training/ coaching camp at SAI NRC Sonepat from April 29, 2015 to July 13, 2015 and 22 athletes and 3 coaches had reported in the camp.

Out of 26 athletes, 22 athletes participated in above mentioned championships and 4 athletes could not participate due to the following reasons. 1. Santosh Kumar(110MH/400MH)- Did not obtain the passport 2. Eknath Shambhaji- (10000m Walk) – Did not obtain the passport 3. Reshmi Shergar- (100m) - Dropped due to injury. 4. Ramalaxmi (Medley Relay)- Medley relay was dropped due to injury of Reshmi Shergar, the key runner of Medley Relay.

The four-day competition commenced on May 8, 2015 and the Indian team won a total of 14 medals including 2 Gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze medals. The team finished 2nd behind China in terms of total number of medals.

Performance at Asian Youth Athletics Championships Indian Athletics

Coaches: 1. Wazir Singh. 2. Sh Jaipal Singh 3. Ms Renu Kohli Medals

Highlights Indian Athletics

IAAF World Youth Athletics Championships 17 Boys and 3 girls qualified for this championship, but on merit basis the selection panel of AFI selected 15 athletes (13 boys and 2 Girls) along with 3 coaches (one athlete Jisna Mathew and two coaches, Ms PT Usha and Mr Nirbhay Singh withdraw their names at the last stage due to their personal reasons).

Coaching Camp was organised at SAI, NBA, Rohtak from June 9-July 12 for selected Athletes. COO, AFI visited the camp venue for encouragement and to see the training facilities. Performance in World Youth Athletics Championships Performance in World Youth Athletics Championships

Coach: Sh Dinesh Rawat Commonwealth Youth Games The coaching camp was organised at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi from August 1- September 2, 2015. The athletes were selected on the basis of performance achieved during National Youth Athletics Championships at Goa and Asian Youth Athletics Championships at Doha. The criterion for selection was fixed at the performance of last edition Commonwealth Youth Games held at - 2011. Indian Athletics

The invitations for each commonwealth countries were allotted against the quota system, where the participation restricted in numbers. 10 seats (5 males and 5 females with 2 accompanying officials) were allotted for Indian athletes.

Performance of Indian Team in Commonwealth Youth Games

Coach- Wazir Singh Medals

Highlights Indian Athletics

Under-16 and Under-14 Talent Identification Programme

National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meet The juniors are the future of Indian Athletics and in fact for all sports. As such the Federation has been putting special emphasis in implementing the programmes launched for Juniors in the last few years. The performance of juniors in recent years has shown that the time is not far off when Indf=ia can win medals in major International events like the Olympics and IAAF World Championships if they are looked after with care, right guidance and t r a i n e d s c i e n t i f i c a l l y a n d systematically. A lot of depth is now being seen in many events of track and field which is a testimony to the fact that the Junior programme of the Federation is headed in the right direction.

It was in 2003 that the then AFI Secretary, Dr. Lalit K. Bhanot took the initiative of proposing an unprecedented and an all-encompassing concept to a specially-constituted expert committee for introducing a new Meet for identifying and nurturing junior talent in India. Today, we know it as the AFI's sterling initiative, the National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meet (NID-JAM) for boys and girls below the age of 14 years and 16 years.

The AFI is the only National Sports Federation in the country which conducts such a unique competition where more than a lakh athletes across Districts compete in their own meets and are then selected to compete directly in a National Meet. The motive of this Meet is to take Athletics to villages and small towns where plenty of talent is available as compared to the cities and metros. The NID-JAM has proved to be an unique experience in Indian sports and also shown its worth as an effective platform for taking a sport to the grass root level. The Federation provides special attention to this ambitious programme and extends free food, lodging and travel reimbursements to all the participants. A fresh boost to this competition was given in 2015 as the Federation received support from M/s Shriram Properties/NEB Sports. This organization gave a big boost to this competition and organized it with lot of fanfare providing better facilities to athletes and cash awards to podium finishers.

The Federation has already initiated the process to direct the State Associations to chalk out a well-planned programme to interact with the district associations regularly, monitor their activities and also ensure that Chief Coach is appointed, Selection Committee and Technical Committee are constituted in the districts. This will enable the youngsters to perform their best in the Meet. Indian Athletics

The year 2015 was a record-breaking year in which 297 districts actually participated with a total number of 2563 athletes. The Federation is aiming to get 400 districts involved in 2016. A special programme for coaching / training of athletes is also being prepared so that the 'Catch 'Em Young' Mission of the Federation is achieved without any further loss of time.

The list of districts which participated in 2015 NIDJAM along with the number of participants is attached as Annexure – XVII. Indian Athletics

Challenges for Indian Athletics

Fighting the menace of doping The Federation has taken the fight against doping very seriously and initiated a number of steps to eradicate the menace. State units are regularly being asked to organise seminars for coaches and athletes to make them aware about the disadvantages of banned substances. Besides, pamphlets containing names of banned substances are also being distributed to State Units and in the Coaching Camps.

It has, however, transpired that use of banned substances through injections have become rampant in National , University Games and even in State Meets. Having known this, the federation is now trying to ensure that Dope samples are collected in these Meets and accordingly NADA has started sending its officials to these Meets. The athletes who fail in Dope tests in National School Games and Inter University Meet are on the records of AFI. The Federation is regularly informing NADA to send its officials for collecting dope samples in all Zonal and National Athletics Championships and also for the Departmental All India Athletics Championships of the affiliated Boards. This action of the Federation is a testimony to the fact that it is extremely serious in eliminating Doping in Indian Athletics.

Checking Overage Participation The overage participation in Junior Meets has become a headache for the Federation in spite of the fact that numerous steps have been taken in the past to curb the tendency of overage participation. In order to control overage participation, the Federation, invariably, issues a warning in all its circulars before conducting the Zonal and National Junior Sports Meets that: (i) The athletes should bring along with them their original X standard certificate issued by the Central/State Education Board for verification (ii) The athletes who are drop-outs final have not passed X standard should bring original Birth Certificate issued by the State/District authorities and also a School Learning Certificate from the school he/she last attended (iii) The athletes who have not gone to school at all should bring original Birth Certificate issued by the State/District authorities (iv) The host unit must constitute Age Verification Committee including one or more Doctors for assessment of age of athletes entered in the Championships (v) It is ensured that Chairman, AFI Medical Committee is also present during all Junior Zonal/National Meets to monitor the age verification process

In spite of all these efforts, it is surprising to mention here that many junior athletes are managing fake Birth Certificates and also X Board Certificates. The verification of these fake certificates is a very cumbersome process and cannot be followed so easily. The participation of overage athletes in Zonal Meets is more rampant and the organising units of the Zonal Meets have been found lacking in taking necessary steps to check overage participation. The AFI has appealed to all its affiliated units to take all possible steps to arrest the issue of overage participation and ensure that no overage athlete is sent for participation, particularly in the Zonal Meets as the menace is a big hindrance for the overall development of athletics. Indian Athletics

Medical Commission

The Medical Committee of the AFI has done a commendable job during the year of the report. The responsibilities and work load of the Commission have increased manifold in the view that NADA has expanded its wings and is now conducting tests in State Meets, School Games, University Meets, Departmental Meets, CBSE Meets, etc. As the apex body for Athletics in India, all such cases are referred to the AFI's Medical Commission which in turn send official communication to the concerned athletes. Once sanction on the athletes is issued by NADA, all such athletes are required to give four samples before they are cleared by the Athletics Medical Commission for participation in the Athletics Championships. In addition, the records of all the cases are required to be maintained and the IAAF is required to be informed about all cases where sanctions are imposed by NADA. The list of athletes on whom sanctions were imposed by NADA is at Annexure XXVI.

Centre of Excellence for Athletics

On the occasion of the landmark visit to India by the International Association of Athletics Federations President and athletics legend Lord Sebastian Coe in October, it was decided to establish a Centre of Excellence for Athletics in the historic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi through a tripartite agreement between the IAAF, Sports Authority of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Athletics Federation of India. Indian Athletics

Accolades for Indian Athletics

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award for the year 2015 was conferred upon Ms. M.R. Poovamma for her outstanding performance in 400m in International competitions. She won the Bronze Medal in 400m in Incheon Asian Games 2014 and also was a member of the 4x400 Relay team which won Gold Medal. She won Silver Medal in Asian Athletics Championships 2013.

Dronacharya Award The Dronacharya Award for the year 2015 was conferred upon Sh. Harbans Singh who had a long stint of coaching Indian athletes and he whose athletes brought laurels for the country for many years in the past. Indian Athletics

STANDARDISED FORMAT FOR SUBMISSION OF ANNUAL CALENDAR FOR TRAINING AND COMPETITIONS (ACTC) FOR 2016-2017

1.0 Name of Sport: ATHLETICS 2.0 Details of the President and Secretary General/ CEO of the National Sports Federation. Indian Athletics

Part-a (for Senior Men And Women)

3.0 Brief Introduction of the Sport: 3.1 Athletics (Track field & road) has been practicedfor thousands of years. It was first introducedto the Ancient Greek Olympics and then in 1896 the first Modern Olympics Games were held in Athens. Athletics is the 'Mother' of all Sports.

4.0 Performance details of the sports at International level. 4.1 In descending order the major games Indian athletes have competed in : Note : Patiala, Delhi, Bangalore &Trivandrum require Indoor Athletics Training Center also conduct Indoor competitions. - Asian Indoor Championship 2016 - SAF Games 2016 - IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Beijing 2015. - Asian Athletics championships, Wuhan 2015 - Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014. - IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Moscow 2013. - Asian athletics Championships, Pune 2013 - Olympic Games, London 2012

Note : Please see 4.0 separate attachments for individual details, event, performance and remarks.

5.0 Brief details of the Sports at National Level. 5.1 Details of National Championships organized in all age group in last 2 years. - Please see 14.1 in the part –B Junior and Youth categories : page 3 6.0 Annual calendar for training and competitions (ACTC) for Seniors (Male & female) Indian Athletics

6.1 National Coaching Camps

6.2 International Training & Competitions Indian Athletics Indian Athletics

7.0 Coaches and Support Staff proposed for providing training at National Camps for Seniors only (Male & Female). 7.1 Foreign Coaches (Provide number and approximate cost). Indian Athletics

7.2 National Coaches (Give detail with Cost).

7.3 Support staff for Training. (Give detail with Cost).

8.0 Sports Equipment (Consumable and portable) required and to be procured for use in preparation of Indian teams/campers.

9.0 Annual Calendar of National Championship for all three age categories separately with date and venue. Attached as Annexure

10.0 Synopsis of the Budget: Indian Athletics

11.0 Main target of training and achievement expected. Indian Athletics

Part- B (for Junior/sub-junior/cadet/youth Categories)

12.0 Brief Introduction of the Sport – Same as Section A.

12.1 Whether played in (YOG) sports or not? If yes, since when introduced? Yes the first Summer Games in 14-26 August 2010.

12.2 Whether played in Youth Asian Games (YAG), Youth Commonwealth Games (YCWG)/Championships (YCWC) or not? If yes, since when introduced? Yes, Played in 1st , Singapore 2009 and Commonwealth Games, Pune 2008

12.3 Other level of Championships where sport is played- NA

12.4 Total No. of events at stake in Men and Women catyegory in Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Youth Asian Games (YAG) / Championships (YAC) and Youth Commonwealth Games (YAWG)/Championship (YCWC).

Youth Olympic Games Boys 18 Girls 18

Youth Asian Games Boys 20 Girls 20 (15-17) Age group

Commonwealth Games

12.5 No. of age categories for both, Men &Women (Junior/Sub-Junior/Cadet/Youth etc.) played at International level

Youth (15-17) Junior under 20

13.0 Performance detail of the sport at international level:

13.1 Performance of the Indian team / sports persons at International level (As described from 1.1 to 1.5 above) for last two years (2012, 13, 14, 15) in all age categories(Junior/Sub-Junior/Cadet/Youth etc.) Indian Athletics

2012

2014 Indian Athletics

14.1 Details of National Championships organised in all age group in last two years in following format:

2014

2015

15.0 Annual Calendar for Training & Competition (ACTC) for Senior (Male and Female) 15.1 National Coaching Camps – Junior Indian Athletics

ZONAL CAMPS FOR JUNIORS AND YOUTH GROUPS (Preparation camp for Youth World, Youth Asian and Youth Commonwealth Championship-2017)

15.2 International Training /Competition/ Exposures: Indian Athletics

15.3 International Competition where team will participate in India: NIL

16.0 Coaches and Support Staff proposed for providing training at National Camps (Junior/Sub-Junior/Cadet/Youth etc.) separately.

16.1 Foreign Coaches (Provide number and approximate cost). 16.2 National Coaches (Give detail with Cost). 16.3 Support staff for Training. (Give detail with Cost) 17.0 Sports Equipment (Consumable and portable) required and to be procured for use in preparation of Indian teams/ campers. 18.0 Annual Calendar of National Championship for all age categories separately for Junior/Sub- Junior/ Cadet/ Youth etc. with date and venue. 19.0 Synopsis of the Budget:

20.0 Main target of training and achievement expected. 20.1 FOUR YEARS TRAINING CYCLE PLAN FOR YOUTH AND JUNIOR GROUPS(2016- 2020)

20.1 Main targets in 4 year cycle (specifically in YOG, YAG, YCWG, YCWC& YAC. 20.2 Intermediate targets to be attained in between to achieve the main target/targets. Indian Athletics

PART- C (TOTAL)

21.0 Synopsis of the total budget for Part- A& B of ACTC 2014-2015:

22.0 Name of three Centres in order of preference for making hub of your sport discipline (Preferably SAI Centres). (Provide an Annexure with details to make these centres fully equipped as per international best standards for training). I Throwing Events, Decathlon Patiala II Sprints, Jumps, Heptathlon Trivandrum III Middle & long distance, walks Bangalore IV Middle & long distance, walks Ooty V Long Sprints (Juniors) See Center Delhi Of Excellence document

Criteria for annual evaluation of performance of NSFs (Evaluation at the end of the Financial year for the said Financial Year) Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics

JaunaMurmu Hemashree Roy AshwaniAkhuji Sini S. Sini Jose x400 Situi Singh Anju Thomas (R) Priyanka Panwar (R)

Other Athletes who could not win

Gaurav Kumar - 100 (7th ) 4x100 Relay – Bronze AkshayKhot - 100 (6th ) 4x100 Relay – Bronze VidyaSagar - 200 (5th ) 4x100 Relay – Bronze Rahul - 800m (5th ) Anju - PV (No performance) Samarjeet Singh - Javelin (4th ) Priyanka Panwar - 400 (4th ) Sipra Sarkar - 800 (4th ) SugandhaKumari - 1500 (4th ) JyotiGawate - Marathon (4th )

Indian Athletics Indian Athletics Indian Athletics

ATHLETICS FEDERATION OF INDIA WZ-72, First Floor, Toda Pur Main Road, Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, New Delhi - 110012 T.: +91 11 25845421/22 F: +91 11 25845423 E: [email protected], [email protected] W : www.indianathletics.in