The postponement of the Olympics has resulted in a tough situation for the Indian elite track and field athletes. With three competitions lined up one after the other over two months, it will be a challenging 2022 for the athletes. Namely, World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games will all be held in the July-September time slot. 

 

Starting with the World Athletics Championships to be held in Oregon in the US will be from July 15-24. The original dates for the Championship were August 6-15 2021, but it would have clashed with the Tokyo Olympics. Therefore, it was postponed. It would be quickly followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (July 27-August 7). In less than 15 days, the Asian Games will begin in China from September 10. 

The World Athletics said that this would enable all the eligible athletes to compete in all three events. World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe said, ” We would not have chosen to have three major Championships back to back but it will give us a unique opportunity to promote our sport and its stars around the globe over a six week period.”


The Athletics Federation of India is preparing the athletes to use the time off wisely due to the lockdown and to stay strong. With proper planning and focus, AFI president, Adille Sumariwalla believes that Indian athletes will be able to deal with the congested calendar two years from now. He also said that the AFI will be responsible for effective planning and give the athletes built up competitions while preparing schedules. 

 

Indian athletes won 20 medals, including 8 gold in the previous edition of the Asian Games in 2018. However, they won three at the Commonwealth Games and returned empty-handed from the World Championships. 

 

Also, World Athletics has suspended the qualifying window for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics till December 1, 2020. The Indian athletes that have already qualified include, KT Irfan (20km Race Walk), Bhawana Jat (20km Race Walk), Avinash Sable (3000m Steeplechase), Muhammed Anas, Velluva Vismaya, Jisna Mathew and Noah Tom (Mixed 4*400m Relay), Neeraj Chopra and Shivpal Singh (Javelin Throw), 

 

 

Stay Rackonnected and learn more about sports

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram to join our community of sports lovers.