By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: About 600 athletes from 29 Indian states will flex their muscles for top honours in the 47th National Inter-State Senior Athletic Championship which gets underway here in Bhopal tomorrow at the Tatya Tope Stadium.
Addressing a Press conference here Madhya Pradesh Tourism, Sports & Youth Welfare Minister Tukijirao Puar said top India athletes viz. Anju Bobby George (Long jump), J.J. Shobha (100 metres Hurdles & Long jump), Manjeet Kaur (400 meters), Hamjasi, Surendar Kumar, Sunil Singh, Pareeja etc. would be seen in action in the four-day athletic meet.
The meet is being jointly organized by Madhya Pradesh Amateur Athletic Association, (MPAAA), and Madhya Pradesh Sports & Youth Welfare Department meet. The championship has been sponsored by Bhopal Municipal Corporation and Life Insurance of India, he added.
Puar informed that 165 men and women Indian probables for the next year Beijing Olympics along with eight foreign coaches would be participating in the championship.
All the Indian probables will be taking part from their respective states from where they hail. Thus, the importance of this athletic meet is all the more crucial for these athletes who will have to put their best foot forward in the championship to book their tickets for the Beijing Olympics.
Seeing the importance of the championship Lalit Bhanot, secretary Athletic Federation of India,(AFI), who is also organising secretary Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in New Delhi, will watch the athletes from close quarters during the meet. Along with Bhanot others from AFI who would be present during the championship are Director ML Dogra and technical committee chairman SP Pillai.
Replying to a question Puar said in all 132 medals with 44 gold, 44 silver and 44 bronze medals would be at stake in the 44 events that will be held.
He said dope test would be performed on the winner athletes compulsorily along with athletes would also be picked randomly for the tests for which samples of urine would be collected. Dayanand and Nitin Arya have been deputed for collecting the samples from athletes, he added.
Puar said that the AFI has deputed two technical delegates namely Dr. Kirpal Singh and M.C. Ghosh along with 14 key officials for this National championship.
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh squad of 36 athletes comprising of 28 men and 8 women has been declared for the National championship.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate the four-day event tomorrow at 3.45 pm. State Finance Minister Raghavji, Bhopal Mayor Sunil Sood and LIC Regional Manager R.B. Rai would be special guests on the occasion. The inaugural function would be presided over by Puar.
In the championship latest gadgets would be used to record the timings of the competing athletes for which arrangements have been made by Murlidhar, chairman of MPAAA technical committee.
President & secretary of MPAAA NS Parmar and Mumtaz Khan respectively, MP Olympic Association vice president Dr. Shafquat Mohammad Khan, MP Sports Director Sanjay Choudhary, Joint Director Vinod Pradhan and Bhopal District Sports Officer Vikas Kharadkar were present amongst others at the Press conference. ([email protected])