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Sports on hold, low-calorie diet for India track stars
India’s elite track and field athletes, who would have hit their final phase of training but the Tokyo Olympics being cancelled, have to now stay put in their rooms, although the sprawling NIS campus has five-six large fields besides two synthetic tracks.
Less exertion, reduced diet is the new policy Athletics Federation of India has adopted in its bid to keep the elite group at the camp in Patiala’s National Institute of Sports (NIS) to stay in shape as they are confined to indoors due to restrictions for Covid-19.
India’s elite track and field athletes, who would have hit their final phase of training but the Tokyo Olympics being cancelled, have to now stay put in their rooms, although the sprawling NIS campus has five-six large fields besides two synthetic tracks.
Although athletes received training tips online, it can’t compensate for their strenuous and calibrated daily routine. Javelin star Neeraj Chopra, who was on a comeback after elbow surgery when sports came to a halt globally, is among the 60 elite athletes in Patiala.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said since athletes train indoors with the aim to only stay fit at present, Sports Authority of India officials in Patiala and coaches at the campus have made changes to the menu to prevent athletes from getting too heavy. “What works best is being done to safeguard the health and fitness of the athletes,” he said.
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A national coach based in Patiala said: “We have advised athletes to maintain weight, otherwise it would be difficult to cut down fat around the waist when normal training resumes.” The lower-calorie diet and indoor routine looks set to continue for another month as Patiala is a Covid-19 hotspot with 61 positive cases reported till Saturday.
The Patiala NIS is the national sports hub. Many national federations (NSFs) have unsuccessfully sought permission from authorities to allow isolation training for the India campers, with the health ministry not permitting such outdoor activities.
Patiala district commissioner Kumar Amit said: “The environment isn’t conducive for sports activities. It’s difficult to say when it will happen (reopen for sports activities) but it will depend on the situation.”
The core group of weightlifters, led by former world champion Mirabai Chanu, is also in the campus. “Training has been reduced to general fitness… Since there are no strenuous sessions, the calorie intake has been reduced 15-20 percent on a daily basis,” a coach in Patiala said.
The Weightlifting Federation of India’s request to use the 16 training platforms for the nine core group lifters preparing for the Olympics also wasn’t approved. “Weightlifting is different from other sports, it’s all about maintaining muscle tone. It’s about power and speed; long periods of rest will weaken the muscles,” said chief weightlifting coach, Vijay Sharma.
