Postponed Olympic qualifiers will happen, says IOA chief
National Sports Federations have been asked to share information on athletes' training plans
New Delhi: IOA President Narinder Batra on Saturday said the Tokyo Olympics qualification events, postponed due to Covid19 pandemic, will be held once the health crisis is resolved and asked the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to prepare a list of such tournaments in their respective sports.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president also asked the top brass of all the NSFs to share the calendar of their athletes' preparations for the Tokyo Games, pushed back by one year to 2021 in view of the worsening pandemic.
"The qualification events which were postponed will happen again once this virus issue is resolved. Draft tentative plans for that. Please share details of all the qualification events yet to happen in your sport," Batra wrote in a letter to the presidents and secretaries of all the NSFs.
Batra also said the IOA and NSFs need to plan on the extension of contracts of the coaches whose tenures were to end this year.
"Draft training calendar for Athlete's preparation for 2021 Olympics. Please update on the present location of the athletes and their health," he said in the letter with copies marked to Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India.
He said under the present circumstances, it will be very difficult to give any confirmations "but this is just to get everyone on same page".
Nearly 80 Indian athletes have so far qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in seven sports -- athletics, archery, boxing, equestrian, hockey, shooting and wrestling. The IOA was expecting to rise the number to more than 120.