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Athletics: Indian Grand Prix cancelled due to coronavirus

File photo: Hima Das at the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships 2018. AFI Media

A day before the Indian athletics season was to begin in Patiala, the Indian Grand Prix has been called off due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Sports issued an advisory against the conducting of sports events in the country. "In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, all sport organisations and their affiliate units are advised against holding any sports events including competitions and selection trials until 15th April 2020," the advisory stated. The ministry's advisory seemed to suggest that apart from the Indian Grand Prix to be held in Patiala on March 20, a second Indian Grand prix to be held on the March 25 and the Federation Cup to be held between April 10-13 were also unlikely to be conducted.

The fate of the first IGP was already uncertain after the Sports ministry increased restrictions on the entry of athletes into the National Institute of Sports in Patiala where the event was to be conducted, and also suspended national camps for athletes not preparing for the Olympics.

On Monday, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had said that the IGP-1 was to be conducted only for the athletes who were already part of the national coaching camps. The federation had also shifted the location of IGP-2 from Sangrur in Punjab to the National institute of Sports in Patiala.

While the AFI haven't issued a public statement on the cancellation of the IGP, the president of the AFI, Adille Sumariwalla, suggested that it was likely after the ministry's advisory. "If the ministry has directed us against conducting any sports events, then we will of course abide by those rules," said Sumariwalla.

While questions had been raised over the need to conduct sporting tournaments even while similar events had been shut across the world in order to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sumariwalla added that it was essential to conduct tournaments for the athletes. "Athletics training is a cyclical process. After a period increasing the load of training, it is important to enter a competition phase. The calendar for athletics has been drawn out well in advance keeping the Olympics in mind. At the moment the Olympics are going to be held on schedule, as such it was important to start the competition phase in March so that we could peak for the Federation Cup and then start training once more for the Olympics," he said

However, Sumariwalla said the Federation would also have to find alternate solutions if there was no way to conduct tournaments. "Of course that was our plan A. Now if the IGP is cancelled, the coaches will have to sit together and chart out another possible training and competition schedule for the athletes," he said.