Date:12/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/12/stories/2008021256531800.htm

Sport - Athletics

Coimbatore to host two Indian GP meets

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The all-India inter-State athletics championships to be held in Chennai in June will be the final trials for the Beijing Olympic Games aspirants. Just prior to that meet, the Indian athletes will be able to aim for Olympic qualifying standards in the second Indian Grand Prix meet to be held at Coimbatore.

The men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams will have to look for IAAF-designated competitions to clock timings that will eventually give them a place among the top 16 teams in the world in order to get into the Beijing list. The best two timings of a team from 2007 through 2008 will be taken into consideration for relay rankings.

The possibilities for the relay teams, as per current plans, could come in the South Asian championships to be held in Kochi on March 7 and 8 and the Asian Grand Prix meets in Bangkok (June 23), Korat, Thailand (June 26) and Hanoi (June 30).

Task cut out

The walkers and marathoners have their task cut out, for, they will have to attain minimum qualification standards in IAAF-designated meets. In other individual events, athletes can achieve the standards in any recognised meet, at home or abroad.

The qualifying deadlines will be July 16 for relay teams and July 23 for individual athletes.

The domestic calendar: First Indian Grand Prix, Patiala, Feb. 21; Federation Cup, Bhopal, Feb. 26-29; World Athletics Day meet, Bangalore (between May 1-10); Federation Cup Junior meet, Karim Nagar (AP), May 22-24; Second Indian Grand Prix, Coimbatore, June 4; National inter-State championships, Chennai, June 9-12; Zonal junior meets: North, U.P., Aug. 17-19; East, Jharkhand, Aug. 17-19; South, TN, Aug. 21-23; West, Maharashtra, Aug. 21-23; National junior inter-zonal, Ranchi, Sept. 2-4.

National Youth meet, Pune, Sept. 20-22; Third Indian Grand Prix, Coimbatore, Sept. 25; Open Nationals, Kochi, Sept.29-Oct 1; National sprint and relay meet, Mumbai, Oct. 9-10; National Endurance meet, Jamshedpur, Oct. 15-17; National jumps and combined events, Bangalore, Oct. 19-20; All-India inter-district meet, Nasik, Nov. 5-7; National junior championships, Mangalore, Nov. 25-28; National cross-country, Bhilai, Feb. 28, 2009.