AFI to give grants to 100 districts for track and field sport
Keeping an eye on improving the talent pool at the district level in athletics, the Athletic Federation of India has decided to give grants to 100 districts. The recent Annual General Meeting of AFI had reportedly seen the officials of the state associations getting the stick for poor work.
The grant, which has been engineered to help all the district associations compete in the National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meet (NIDJAM) each year, has also got the support of the Sports Ministry under the Khelo India Programme. And AFI President Adille Sumariwalla has revealed that it would be a pilot project this year before the support extended to more districts over the years.
“We have always encouraged and recognised work at the grass-roots level, and we believe that this would be the first time a National Sports Federation is providing grants to district associations,” he said, reported PTI.
“We know that we have to broaden the base to be able to find the talent that can be nurtured to passionately and pursue Olympic dreams. We met the Ministry and Sports Authority of Indian officials a few weeks ago to finalise the modalities of this game-changing move,” Sumariwalla added.
The recent Annual General Meeting of AFI had seen the state officials getting a stern warning about lack-lustre performances and it has also been reported that the AFI would be planning a meeting with the presidents and secretaries of close to 500 districts to share details.