Bengaluru: Young athletes and their parents in Karnataka are facing a dilemma after the Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA) scheduled its Junior State Athletics Championships on August 7-8 in Bengaluru, overlapping the CBSE's state competition in Raichur.
The CBSE calendar, as per its circular on July 8, lists the Cluster VIII Athletics Championships (for U-14, U-17 and U-19 categories in Karnataka) in Raichur from August 6 to 10. The overlap assumes significance as both competitions serve distinct qualification pathways.
The KAA, which also released its circular on July 8, scheduled their state championships at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. The state championships been designated as the qualifying event for the National Junior Athletics Championships (in Ludhiana on September 1-3) and South Zone Championships (in Puducherry on Sept 14-16), which in turn forms a pathway towards Youth Olympic Games in Nairobi in November.
The CBSE competition, meanwhile, is a qualifying event for the CBSE National Athletics Championships, from where top performers advance to the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) Nationals in December, a tournament considered significant for students seeking sports quota benefits in higher education admissions and government employment.
The day when Sir Garry knelt down to teach a boy"We approached the KAA requesting that the dates be reconsidered because the Athletics Federation of India's calendar had indicated a window between August 16 and 30 for conducting state championships," a parent told DH.
"Many athletes compete in both circuits and shouldn't have to sacrifice one opportunity for another. But there has been no official confirmation whether the dates will be changed or not."
When DH reached out to KAA president G Parameshwara and secretary A Rajavelu, the officials confirmed that athletes opting to compete at the CBSE Cluster meet should nevertheless submit their entries for the state championships along with a letter explaining their absence.
"KAA will conduct special time trials around August 15-16, subject to the venue's availability, to assess such athletes for qualification," said Rajavelu.
Some of the parents, however, have expressed their concern over such a solution as those who are participating in the state meet earlier will remain in the dark of their selection even if they top the KAA meet.
It's also worth noting that the state championships on August 7 coincide with the Athletics Federation of India's National Javelin Day initiative, under which state and union territory units have been directed to organise javelin events in all districts. The AFI calendar designates August 16-31 period as the window to host the state junior championships instead.
Asked whether the scheduling was intended to combine both activities, Rajavelu said: "We don't have enough competitive javelin throwers in Karnataka compared to some other states that's why we decided to combine it together. Districts will host their javelin competition while we are allowing Bengaluru-based javelin throwers to compete in the state championships without paying an entry fee. That way, we can also observe National Javelin Day."