AFI permission made mandatory for athletes for training, exposure trips abroad

Mumbai, May 10 (IANS) After a recent case of an Indian athlete testing positive for a banned substance during an exposure trip abroad, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has made it mandatory for all those desiring to go abroad for training or competition to take written permission from the national body.

The AFI will take action against erring athletes for not taking valid written permission to compete and train on foreign soil from this month, AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagoo said on Saturday.

"Disciplinary action will be taken against those individual athletes who don’t take prior permission to compete and train on foreign soil from the national governing body of track and field in the country," the AFI president said.

Another reason for taking this decision is that the AFI also does not have any record of athletes going to training stints in places that have a dubious reputation of being doping havens.

With a record number of athletes among those penalised by WADA and AIU lists, the AFI is also worried these uncontrolled trips abroad for so-called training and exposure trips could lead to further embarrassment abroad and can have a bearing on India's attempts to win hosting rights for mega events like Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic Games.

Thus, the AFI has decided not to acknowledge the performance of the athletes in case they went abroad for trips or competitions without valid written permission from the national federation.

“The performance of the athletes will be invalid for record books if they don’t take mandatory approval of the AFI for international exposure,” the AFI president added. “To safeguard the interest of the athletes, AFI has set a specific period to grant permission to train and compete abroad.”

To grant permission for competition and training on foreign soil, the AFI has set guidelines to ensure transparency. While submitting an application to AFI, the athlete must specify details of the competition, including the country. AFI shall review each application within one week of receipt. If necessary, AFI may interact with the athlete for additional clarification, the AFI president explained.

“The approval or rejection of the permission shall be communicated in writing within a week,” the AFI president added. “The athlete must apply at least 30 days prior to the date of the competition to AFI, along with proof of an invitation. A recommendation letter from the respective department or institution is mandatory if applicable.”

Meanwhile, to improve participation in the domestic competitions, the national governing body in track and field in the country had framed a policy to keep a record of an individual so that he or she does not evade dope testing officials.

“AFI must be aware of the number of individual athletes competing abroad and the purpose of international exposure," the AFI president said. "Irrespective of their level or institutional affiliation, the athletes must obtain prior written permission from the AFI office before sending entries to compete in any international competition on foreign soil in the future."

The AFI is also unhappy that some of the privately managed academies and training facilities are taking over the athletes' schedule for the season, leaving it out of the loop.

Athletes going for an international exposure tour without prior permission severely impacts AFI's strategy to field national teams for major competitions, including the Olympics and Asian Games, the AFI president explained.

“A virtual meeting of the Core Committee of AFI was held earlier in March to address and to frame policy on international exposure, including training,” the AFI president said.

--IANS

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