Athletics Federation chief calls for revamp of National Institute of Sport's coaching course

Athletics Federation of India President Adille Sumariwalla on Wednesday said that the government needs to revamp its coaching course at the National Institute of Sport Patiala as it has become outdated.

Sumariwalla said that diploma holders from NIS with specialisation in athletics are not being able to clear the international athletics body’s basic level course.

“The NIS is having an 18-month course. But the person who passed NIS course with specialisation in athletics fails in the IAAF level 1 course which is the basic level. That is the competency of our coaches who passed from NIS,” Sumariwalla told reporters while announcing the Indian team for next month’s Asian Championships.

“I have given a report to Sports Authority of India to change people who are giving lectures for the courses at the NIS and a revamp in the curriculum. 25 years back, it was a fantastic institution. We have talent but we need other things also,” he said.

Sumariwalla was speaking at the context of national record holder long jumper M Shreeshankar’s father-cum-coach refusing to let him train outside their home base of Palakkad in Kerala.

Shreeshankar was left out of the Indian team for the April 19-24 continental showpiece event in Doha as he was suffering from a heel injury though he recently wrote to the AFI that he has started training and can be considered for selection.

“We offered him to train at Chula Vista [in USA] and we also said that his father or even mother can accompany him. We were even ready to send Bedros Bedrosian [former jump coach]) to his place but his father would not agree. They are not willing to leave Palakkad,” Sumariwalla said.

“At the training base at Palakkad, there is no proper facility, no machinery for recovery and rehabilitation. We have recently given him recovery equipment [brought from outside] by giving custom duty. If you want to base yourself at Palakkad and hope to win an Olympic medal, good luck to you.”

The AFI president also said that Shreeshankar’s father Murali, a former triple jumper, was not competent to coach his son.

Deputy chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair said Shreeshankar was not considered for the Asian Championships as his heel injury may aggravate without proper treatment and rehabilitation.

“He took part in the Indian GP in Sangrur but he left for home three days before the Federation Cup saying his heel injury has aggravated and so will not be in the Fed Cup. But today he sent a mail to me that he has recovered and is starting his training and so requested to be considered for the Asian Championships,” Nair said.

“I told him heel injury for a long jumper is a very serious matter and that too on his take off leg. The injury can be prolonged if there is no proper treatment and control over his events. So, I advised him to skip the Asian Championships.”

Sumariwalla also hinted that the Indian athletics team for the 2020 Olympics will be a much smaller one than Rio Games. He said even those who cross the Olympics qualifying mark may not get selected as the AFI is in the process of making a policy decision to pick only the medal prospects and likely finalists.

“Our aim in Olympics will no longer be participation only. Our aim is to win medals or in the finals. We don’t want to take people who will not be in the Olympics finals. We had 34 athletes in Rio and we came back with nothing. We don’t want to do it anymore,” he said.

“We are in the process of making our own qualifying standard for Olympics and that may be higher than the IAAF standards. We are deliberating on it and will make a policy decision 12 months before the Olympics. We want to take a group of killer athletes in the Olympics and there will be no passengers who will distract the rest of them.”

“In the Asian Games, the ministry’s selection criteria was top six but most of our athletes were in top three or four and we came back with a rich medal haul.”

Talking about the issue of more than 40 athletes, including Khelo India gold medallist and highly-rated 100m runner Nisar Ahmed, failing age-verification test at the recent Youth Nationals, Sumariwalla said a final decision is yet to be taken whether to ban them or not.

“We are internally deliberating on the issue. Some feel that they should be banned but others feel they are young and they should be allowed to run at a higher age group.

“We have not banned any of them as of now. The executive committee will take a decision soon,” he said.