Indian Athletics Sees Record-Breaking Surge, Says World Athletics VP Adille Sumariwalla
Olympian and World Athletics Vice-President Adille Sumariwalla recently participated in The Indian Express's Idea Exchange session, discussing the preparations of Indian athletes for the upcoming Asian Games, the country's doping crisis, and the qualifications for sports administrators. The session was moderated by Nihal Koshie, Associate Editor.
Over the past four months, more than 25 national records have been broken — an unprecedented occurrence in such a short period. Sumariwalla attributed this to the decentralisation of training camps after the Paris Olympics. He noted that private organisations like Reliance and JSW, along with state governments such as Odisha and Tamil Nadu, have been bringing in foreign coaches. Keeping athletes in a national camp for 300 days away from home was not ideal, he said. The decision to allow athletes to train wherever they want, except for relays which are team events, has increased competition among training centres.
Sumariwalla also highlighted the 'Neeraj Chopra effect' as a significant factor, inspiring athletes to break records repeatedly. He stated that making it mandatory for athletes to participate in at least two events before final trials has helped reduce injuries, as Indian coaches previously encouraged athletes to protect themselves to win medals at the Asian Games, a mindset that is not conducive to Olympic success.
Regarding concerns that athletes might peak too early before the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, Sumariwalla assured that the athletes will peak and improve at the Asian Games. He emphasised that they are now getting into a system of regular competition, similar to Europe, and have not yet peaked despite current records.
When asked about focusing on the Commonwealth Games, which is a tougher competition in track and field, Sumariwalla explained that coaches, including foreign ones, felt it would be impossible to peak twice in the same year. The federation has chosen to focus on the Asian Games to maximise medals for the country. He mentioned that if left to the athletics federation's think tank, they would have sent only a token representation to the Commonwealth Games to concentrate on the Asian Games and prepare for the 2027 World Championships and 2028 Olympics.
On his candidacy for the World Athletics presidency, Sumariwalla expressed a desire to bring a vision statement that addresses the diverse needs of different regions like Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. For India, he stressed the need for development in kids' athletics, more coaches, and qualified technical officials. He noted that with 650 districts, any number of trainers is insufficient, and creating an ecosystem requires athletes, coaches, and officials.
Addressing doping among junior athletes, Sumariwalla blamed parents and coaches who give substances for greed and awards. He has been advocating for the criminalisation of doping for the past seven years.
On the debate about sports administrators needing to have played the sport, Sumariwalla argued that being a good administrator comes from education, work, and vision, not just athletic ability. He disagreed with the Lodha Committee and court rulings that mandate former athletes as administrators.
