AFI fumes at national campers taking leaves, demands affidavit from them

The Athletics Federation of India on Saturday pulled up chief national coach Radhakrishnan Nair for allowing some of the national campers leave for home "without permission". AFI Planning Commission Chairman Lalit Bhanot told chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair to get affidavit from all the athletes that they will not leave their training base till the end of the national camp.

"There was total anarchy in the camp. How can you grant leave to the athletes, who authorised them to go home?" a fuming Bhanot asked Nair. "You are allowing them (athletes) to go home for family reasons, to get salary and for all other reasons. So, it is like everything is important except training," he said during the Annual General Body Meeting of the AFI here.

AFI president Adille Sumariwalla agreed with Bhanot and told Nair to take control of the national camp. India's top track and field athletes, including the likes of Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das, are currently training at NIS-Patiala and Sports Authority of India Centre in Bangalore. Some of the national campers had gone home recently due to reasons concerning their families.

Bhanot, an AFI Executive Committee member and former secretary, chided Nair for not maintaining strict discipline inside the camp. "With these kind of things, how will we do systematic and meticulous training. It is not a professional approach and it's not going bring us any medal (in Olympics)."

He asked Nair to furnish status of training of Chopra and another javelin thrower Shivpal Singh, shot putter Tejinder Pal Singh Toor and sprinter Hima. He asked specifically if Hima is recovering properly from her lower-back injury which had laid her low last year. Nair replied: "Toor needs three week rest due to a niggle, Neeraj has no issue and Shivpal is all right. Hima is asking for a personal physio."