INDIAN ATHLETICS CALENDAR FOR 2013

New Delhi, 28 January 2013: This year’s programme will commence with the inaugural National Open Race Walking competition at Patiala on 14 and 15 February, thanks to the outstanding performance of K.T. Irfan in the London Olympics!  

 The Indian Team for the Asian Race Walking championships (Nomi City, Japan – March 10) is likely to be selected from the above competition.

 The three-leg Indian Grand Prix will follow in Panchkula (31 March), Ludhiana (6 April) and Delhi (13 April) followed by the Federation Cup Senior Athletics championships at the National Capital from 23 to 26 April.

 India is hosting the third and final leg of this year’s Asian Grand Prix series at Chennai on May 16, after Bangkok (May 8) and Colombo (May 12).

 National Youth (u-18) championship is slated to be held in Guntur or Hyderabad on 18 to 20 May, to identify the athletes to be represented the nation at the World Youth Championships (Donetsk, Ukraine – July 10 to 14) and the Asian Youth Games (Nanjing, China – August 16-24).

 National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at Chennai (4-7 June) will serve as the “Final Trials” for the Indian aspirants who are looking for a berth in the National Team to the “Asian championships” scheduled at the same venue a month later (3 to 7 July). 

 For your information, the continental championship is returning to India after a gap of 24 years, since Delhi hosted it in November 1989.

 Zonal competitions are allotted to Aligarh (North, 4-6 Aug), Ranchi (East, 17-19 Aug), Chennai (South, 21-23 Aug) and Gujarat (West, 25-27 Aug) before the Inter-Zonal junior athletics championships at Kochi from 22 to 24 September.

 Ranchi will be venue for this year’s Open Nationals in September (7-10) while Karnataka once again taking the responsibility of conducting the Junior Nationals during October 15-19 in either Shimoga or Bangalore.

 The Uttar Pradesh Athletics Association will be organising the National Inter-District Athletics meet at Allahabad/Lucknow on 3-5 November and West Bengal takes the challenge of conducting the last competition of the season—National Cross-country Championships—at New Jalpaiguri on 22nd December.

INDIAN ATHLETICS – News