Athletes risk invalidating performances without AFI’s written permission for foreign tours

The AFI (Athletics Federation of India) 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.

“The performance of the athletes will be invalid for record books if they don’t take mandatory approval of the AFI for an international exposure,” the AFI president added. “To safeguard the interest of the athletes, AFI has set a specific time 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.

Guidelines for athletes

While applying 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.”

To strengthen participation in the domestic competitions, the national governing body in track and field in the country had framed a policy to keep a track of an individual so that he or she isn’t evading dope testing officials.

“AFI must be aware of the number of individual athletes competing abroad and the purpose of an 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 for any international competition on foreign soil in the future."

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.