Athletics | We have to create a pipeline from junior to senior, says AFI president Adille Sumariwalla

The athletics junior development programme, which was initiated in 1990 and later became the National inter-district junior athletics meet in the early 2000s, has undergone a significant change with the Athletics Federation of India making it robust with an aim to make it a supply line and produce more champions. Former champions like Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Harwant Kaur, Uday K Prabhu, Bahadur Singh and officials of the AFI interacted with young athletes attending talent assessment camp funded by REC Limited in Patiala. @Media_SAIpic.twitter.com/pflDpztKKD — Athletics Federation of India June 30, 2023 Of the 922 athletes shortlisted from Patna, 578 reported for the fortnight-long talent assessment camp conducted across six venues — Patiala, Patna, Bhopal, Trivandrum, Godhra and Lucknow — with the AFI taking care of all the expenses. @Media_SAIpic.twitter.com/f4gjp0cWHY — Athletics Federation of India June 30, 2023 “History has shown that worldwide only three per cent of under-17 world champions have made it to the seniors… We have to create a pipeline from junior to senior,” said AFI president Adille Sumariwalla. pic.twitter.com/6lWDizjJsi — Athletics Federation of India June 25, 2023 Every year the AFI will organize the NIDJAMs and will add and subtract athletes from the pool in order to keep it “active and healthy.” Meanwhile, the AFI has appointed N. Ramesh as the junior and youth coach and is looking for a high performance director, who will be entrusted with the task of setting up a right kind of programme for the younger athletes.