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Athletics
Commonwealth Games 2018: Athletics Federation threatens pullout over pending entries according to reports
In a bizarre twist, the Athletics Federation of India has threatened to boycott the Commonwealth Games if the entries of three Indian athletes are not accepted by the Commonwealth Games Federation. It was earlier reported that a mix-up by India's governing body in Athletics may have caused three of its brightest medal prospects to miss out on a ticket to the Gold Coast as their entries were sent later than the deadline. As such, entries of high jumper Siddharth Yadav, teenage long jumper M Sreeshankar and woman 400m runner Vijaykumari GK are still pending with the Games organisers. Basically, the deadline of March 7 had not been met because the Athletics Federation Cup itself came to an end on March 9 and these particular names had qualified from that tournament after clearing the mark. According an Indian Olympic Association (IOA) official who spoke to the Hindustan Times, had communicated with the Commonwealth officials with a threat to boycott the tournament and pull out should the three names not be accepted. A tactic which was far from watertight had been employed by the Athletics Federation of India when it came to sending names for Gold Coast. Tentative names had been sent before the deadline, before the Fed Cup even began. Apparently, more athletes qualified for the Commonwealth Games from the Fed Cup than was initially anticipated. Also read: Commonwealth Games 2018: Delay in sending entries causes Sreeshankar to miss out on berth Is this a good enough justification for the mix-up? As it stands, matters are still in a deadlock. The counter argument provided by the Athletics Federation of India is an IAAF mandate which reads that entries can be accepted until 14 days before track and field competitions start. IOA Chef de Mission Vikram Sisodia is expected to mediate between the Commonwealth Games Federation and the Indian sporting body. An amicable conclusion is expected but, in any case, we can agree upon the fact that if the three are not allowed to participate, it might cause a serious dent in India's prospects at the Commonwealth Games. Note: After increasing reports following the initial story by Hindustan Times, the Athletics Federation of India has since clarified that no such communication has been made to the Commonwealth Games Federation. It was never their intention to pull out of the tournament. Athletes will be fielded in Gold Coast and things will proceed as planned.
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