Aakash Khuman NIDJAM 2024: The National Inter District Junior Athletics Meet (NIDJAM) has become a big platform to scout potential athletes at the grassroots level, Adille Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said here on Sunday. The AFI in coordination with Sports Authority of India (SAI) is also conducting a talent identification programme.
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“Our future champions will be spotted from the NIDJAM platform,” Sumariwalla told the media on the sidelines of the 19th edition of NIDJAM being held here at Gujarat University Campus.
The 2024 edition that concludes Sunday has attracted nearly 6,000 athletes in the U14 and U16 age group from 619 districts across the country.
“We have a panel of 30 athletics experts who are here at Ahmedabad to scout potential athletes,” Sumariwalla added. “At the last edition in Patna, more than 900 athletes were spotted by the Talent Identification panel for further screening. We expect more than 1000 potential athletes to be shortlisted for the next phase of screening from the Ahmedabad edition.”
Overtraining
Issue of overtraining cropped up once again on the third and concluding day of the 19th edition of NIDJAM. To avoid early specialisation and burn out, Sumariwalla said, seminars were conducted to update the knowledge of athletes as well as the coaching.
In the past it has been observed that only miniscule number of youngsters have graduated to the senior level. Of the 133 athletes that represented the country in the Asian and World age group competitions only few athletes advanced to the senior level. “Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra was one of them,” Sumariwalla added.
According to Sumariwalla, one of the vice presidents of the World Athletics, the global governing body of track and field suspended its Youth Championships in 2017 as it wasn’t result oriented and coaches pushed the athletes in formative years of training, it was observed Sumariwalla added.
“The biannual World Youth U18 Championships started in 1999 and the last and tenth edition was conducted in 2017 in Nairobi, Kenya,” the vice president of World Athletics said.
The AFI has revised its annual competition scheduled for the youth category. “Only selected disciplines will feature at the 2024 National Youth Championships,” he added.
The 3000m steeplechase, hammer throw and triple jump are some of the disciplines that have been scrapped by the AFI from the youth competition, the AFI president said. “The national team for the Asian youth championships will be selected in limited events,” Sumariwalla disclosed. “This is to avoid overtraining of the athletes and build up a good foundation.”
In the past it has been observed that only miniscule number of youngsters have graduated to the senior level. Of the 133 athletes that represented the country in the Asian and World age group competitions only few athletes advanced to the senior level. “Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra was one of them,” Sumariwalla added.
Seminar on anti-doping awareness and safeguarding athletes from harassment and abuse in sports (SAHAS) was also conducted. Olympian and world bronze medalist in women’s long jump, Anju Bobby George, updated athletes on SAHAS guidelines.
Over two lakh budding athletes compete at district level while nearly 6,000 athletes are competing at the 19th edition of NIDJAM here in Ahmedabad.
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