AFI's plans to excel in 2036 Olympics
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI)’s brainstorming meeting to formulate a strategic plan for excelling in the 2036 Olympics identified core areas which needed attention and the necessity to create a friendly ecosystem for the athletes, coaches and other stakeholders.
The AFI has decided to streamline the calendar to ensure that the athletes will have enough domestic competitions so that they can peak at the right time before major competitions. The AFI will also see that the athletes get adequate foreign exposure.
Speaking to The Hindu after the conclusion of the fiveday meeting, the AFI president Adille Sumariwala said there will be two point strategy starting with the junior programme – mainly the National Interdistrict Junior Athletic Meet (NIDJAM) and the Elite programme.
The AFI has decided to decentralise the national camps after the Paris Olympics and at the same time will allow institutions like Railways, Army, Navy, Police and academies run by JSW and Reliance Foundation to conduct camps at their respective centres.
Max Verstappen stayed firmly on course for another season of dominance in Formula One on Saturday by winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Even after just two races, and despite turmoil at Red Bull, Verstappen seems in neartotal control on the track as he aims for a fourth consecutive title this year.
“A fantastic weekend for the whole team and also for myself. I felt really good with the car,” Verstappen said.
The Dutch driver won easily ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third.
“It was a bit of a boring race because Red Bull was a bit too quick and behind we had a bit of a gap, but we took the maximum points we could today,” Leclerc said.
Eighteenyearold British driver Oliver Bearman was seventh for Ferrari in his first F1 race, one day after being called up as an emergency replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr., who needed an operation to treat appendicitis.
Oscar Piastri took fourth for McLaren, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso fifth and George Russell sixth for Mercedes. Behind Bearman in seventh, McLaren’s Lando Norris held off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in a fight for eighth place. Nico Hulkenberg was 10th for Haas’ first point in F1 since the Singapore GP in September.