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No training at SAI, NIS hurts athletes
At the National Institute of Sport, Patiala, more than 60 athletes—including javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and members of the national 4x400m relay team—have been cooped since the start of the first of three lockdowns was announced by the Prime Minister on March 24
The latest extension of the national lockdown (now until May 17) by the Ministry of Home Affairs has severely affected the plans of the elite athletes at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres in Patiala and Bengaluru. Despite having followed strict isolation protocols inside these two campuses since March 24—where no outsider has been let in and none of the athletes have been let out—the athletes cannot yet resume outdoor training. Their wait to get back to working on their fitness continues.
At the National Institute of Sport, Patiala, more than 60 athletes—including javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and members of the national 4x400m relay team—have been cooped since the start of the first of three lockdowns was announced by the Prime Minister on March 24. Also confined within the walls of NIS are nine weightlifters, including Tokyo Olympics hopefuls Mirabai Chanu and Jeremy Lalrinnunga. The national men’s and women’s hockey teams have spent the lockdown period inside the SAI centre in Bengaluru. Apart from them, SAI Bengaluru houses track and field athletes, including Asian Games 1,500m champion Jinson Johnson and national race walker KT Irfan, who has qualified for Tokyo Olympics.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra said training for those who are inside the SAI campuses should be allowed. “We have requested government to allow the players to train outdoors. We are in touch with Ministry of Home Affairs and something positive should happen soon,” said Batra in his opening address during the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) special general meeting held online on Saturday.
“Those who are staying at different venues of SAI due to nationwide lockdown should be allowed to train as the federation is willing to follow the norms laid down by the Home Ministry to avoid the spread of Covid-19. The norms that we are following in day to day to life could also be followed by athletes,” Batra added.
The athletics and weightlifting federations have both submitted plans of how they can go about outdoor training in these two centres while taking necessary precautions. Weightlifters, especially, lose muscle mass rather quickly when they are not training. And what makes matters worse is that they are confined to a space where equipment is easily available. Because they do not have permission to work out in the gym, Chanu informed HT that the lifters are doing some basic exercises inside their hostel in Patiala. “We can’t do any weight training. We cannot venture outside the hostel and our coach is staying in the other end of the campus,” she said.
That coach is Vijay Sharma, who added they have been in regular touch with the federation and SAI. “The centre in Patiala is a safe zone. Nobody is being allowed inside and no one can go outside. We have only nine lifters and we can maintain enough distance when we train. We have given all these plans but we are yet to get a positive response,” he said. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla said the federation had sent a request for “isolation training for those who are inside the campus (Bengaluru and Patiala) as they wouldn’t come in contact with outsiders as coaches and supporting staff are also inside the campus. We are hopeful of a positive response from SAI shortly.”
However, a senior SAI official said that since the cases in India haven’t dropped isn’t yet possible to allow outdoor training. “If something goes wrong then SAI will be held responsible. Since Tokyo Olympics has been postponed, its best to delay till the time is conducive for outdoor training,” the official said.
Punjab, incidentally, was the first state to extend lockdown restrictions till May 17, four days before the countrywide lockdown was to end. Patiala, where NIS lies, has been declared a hotspot. “Allowing outdoor sports activities is possible only when there is no spike in cases,” said Patiala’s District Commissioner, Kumar Amit. Meanwhile, athletes and coaches at the two SAI campuses continue to await the green flag to resume training. The lack of training has forced the national record holder Jinson Johnson in both 800m and 1,500m to change his diet.
