Karnataka U-18 Athletes Risk Exclusion After Manual Timing at Kanteerava Meet

Karnataka's under-18 athletes face the risk of having their entries for the upcoming National Youth Championships rejected by the Athletics Federation of India after the state selection trials at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru were conducted without mandatory electronic timing systems.

The Karnataka State Junior Athletics Meet, organized by the Karnataka Athletics Association on August 11 and 12, served as the qualification trial for the Youth Nationals scheduled to begin on September 1 in Ludhiana, as well as the South Zone Championships starting September 14 in Puducherry. The Youth Nationals also serve as a key qualification event for the Youth Olympic Games scheduled for November.

According to an AFI circular issued on August 1, athletes must achieve their qualifying marks at national, state, or AFI-recognized championships that utilize electronic systems. The circular explicitly mandated that proof of achievement from electronic timing systems must be attached during online entry submissions.

Despite multiple state records falling during the two-day meet across U-14, U-16, U-18, and U-20 categories, technical officials at the venue operated with hand clocks for track races and measuring tapes for field events. The lack of an electronic setup also led to delays in the publication of competition results, creating confusion for athletes who had met the qualification criteria.

With the AFI establishing an August 19 deadline for entry submissions, the absence of valid electronic timing records leaves little time for resolution.

The state meet had already undergone two schedule changes earlier in the month before taking place at Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Originally slated for August 6 and 7, the tournament was initially postponed by a week to August 12 and 13 due to a clash with the CBSE state meet held in Raichur. The dates were subsequently moved forward by a day to August 11 and 12 in light of a statewide Karnataka bandh called for August 13.