AFI throws two junior athletes out of National C'ships for possessing syringes

Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Nov 2 () In keeping with its no-needle policy, the Athletics Federation of India on Saturday barred two athletes from taking part in the National Junior Championships here for possessing syringes. Chandigarh's Parkash Singh and Rajasthan's Dhananjay were found to have syringes and vials in their bags in the Call Room, the AFI said in a release. On the first day of the competitions, Haryana's Gurpreet and Himachal Pradesh's Seema clocked personal best times to win the boys under-20 10000m and girls under-20 5000m crowns at the Acharya Nagarjuna University grounds here. In the field events, Kerala long jumper Sandra Babu caught the eye with a personal best of 6.16m. Delhi's Arvind Sharma, silver medallist last year, won the boys under-16 discus throw with a 50.16m effort. AFI also became the first National Sports Federation to issue biometrics card to athletes so that they do not have to undergo long age-verification process at each meet. AFI President Adille J Sumariwalla said, "With this competition, AFI has implemented biometric unique identification process that will prove to be a game changer in tackling age fraud and cheating. We want to promote fair play and keep the sport clean. "We want to save the genuine athletes who suffer at the hands of age frauds. Same is with doping, we are keeping a close eye during meets and follow no needle policy. Anyone caught with syringes will be suspended with immediate effect." PDS NSA