AFI’s Bold Move: No National Awards for Athletes with Unregistered Coaches
AFI bars athletes with unregistered coaches from national awards to fight doping.
In a decisive step to combat doping in Indian athletics, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has declared that athletes training under unregistered coaches will be ineligible for prestigious national honors like the Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards. This new policy, announced on Monday, aims to curb the growing doping menace by targeting the role of coaches in the sport’s doping scandals.
The AFI has set a July 31 deadline for all coaches—qualified or not—to register with the federation. Non-compliance will result in blacklisting, barring unregistered coaches from training athletes or participating in any AFI activities. “Only registered coaches will be recognized,” said AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla. “Athletes training with unregistered coaches won’t be recommended for national awards, even if they win medals.”
Sumariwalla, a former AFI president and current World Athletics vice president, didn’t mince words about the doping crisis. “Coaches, and even some parents, are involved in doping—it’s unfortunate,” he told PTI. He advocates for criminalizing doping, arguing that jail time for offenders is essential to deter violations. “Unless we take drastic steps, this nonsense won’t stop,” he said, criticizing the leniency of current penalties, where bans can be reduced through early admission of guilt.
To strengthen its anti-doping efforts, the AFI is forming a dedicated anti-doping cell to identify coaches linked to doping and pinpoint training centers that may serve as hideouts for dopers. This intelligence will be shared with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics. Registered coaches will receive unique ID numbers and cards to ensure accountability.
The AFI’s crackdown follows a surge in doping cases among Indian track-and-field athletes. At its January AGM in Chandigarh, the federation mandated coach registration to root out bad actors. Alongside regular testing and awareness campaigns, these measures signal a zero-tolerance approach to doping.
New Sports Policy: A Promising Framework
Commenting on the recently approved Khelo Bharat Niti (National Sports Policy), Sumariwalla praised its focus on governance, infrastructure, sports science, social upliftment, and the sports industry. “It’s a well-crafted policy with strong pillars,” he said. However, he cautioned that success hinges on implementation. “In India, policy isn’t the issue—execution is.”
With these bold steps, the AFI is taking a stand to clean up Indian athletics, ensuring that only those committed to fair play are celebrated on the national stage.
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