Bhubaneswar to host 22nd edition of the event from 6-9
July
The Asian Athletics Championships, the premier track and field event in
the continent, will mark a return to India when Odisha’s capital city of Bhubaneswar
hosts the 22nd edition of the meet from July 6-9, 2017, bringing together
nearly 1000 athletes from 45 countries, participating in 42 different
disciplines during the four-day extravaganza. The AAC, organised by the Asian
Athletics Association with the help of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI),
will also act as a qualifying event for next year’s IAAF World Championships,
to be held in London.
Earlier
editions of the AAC held in India were New Delhi (1989) and Pune (2013), making
Bhubaneswar the third Indian city to host one of the flagship athletics events
in Asia, after Ranchi pulled out as the host city at the last minute. Bhubaneswar,
one of the hubs of athletics in the country, stepped in with 90 days to go.
With
nearly 1000 participants, the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships will also see
the largest contingent of athletes in the competition’s history, doubling the
497 athletes from 40 nations that took part in the last edition held in Wuhan,
China in 2015.
The
multi-purpose Kalinga Stadium, which
will also host the Hockey World Cup next year, is being transformed to become a
world-class track and field facility, meeting all the International Association
of Athletics Federations (IAAF) standards. Along with a newly-laid all-weather
synthetic track equipped with floodlights, a state-of-the-art warm-up area has
also been constructed to make it a world-class training facility in the span of
a little over two months.
The
Government of Odisha has left no stone unturned to make this event a reality,
putting together an Asian Athletics Championship in a record time of 90 days,
highlighting the state’s commitment to promote sports, tourism and industry.
Commenting on the
Odisha’s moment of pride, Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik
said: “Odisha has come a long way to become one of the most progressive states
in the country. This transformation is well recognised by our people, who have
repeatedly reposed their faith in the State. Odia athletes have done
exceptionally well in recent times. Besides athletics, our players are shining
in other disciplines like Hockey and Weightlifting too. The Asian Athletics
Championships 2017 will offer great exposure to Odia athletes who will be
competing with some of the best sportspersons in the world. This mega event
will definitely help in raising the profile of the state in the field of
sports.
Mr.
Vishal Kumar Dev (IAS), Commissioner cum Secretary – Sports, Government of
Odisha said: “The Asian Athletics Championships
will help take athletics in the state to a higher level. The facility up
gradation at the iconic Kalinga Stadium, which is now equipped with an all-new
synthetic track and world-class, training facility, will go a long way in
creating the planned High Performance Academy to nurture future champions.
Despite the acute paucity of time, we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure
that the event is a grand success.”
The
occasion of Odisha hosting the AAC is also a feeling of pride for the elite
athletes hailing from the state, as it will see some of the top athletes from
India and all of Asia participating in this prestigious event.
Olympian
Dutee Chand,who won gold at the recently concluded Federation Cup
Senior National Athletics Meet and the
current national champion in the women's 100 metres, said: “Kalinga Stadium
is my nursery. I’m elated to see the Asian Athletics Championships held in my
Odisha. I will run on the tracks at the place where I started my career from.”
Ace
sprinter and fellow Olympian Srabani Nanda said: “I
am very happy that an international athletics event like the Asian
Championships is happening in my state of Odisha. I am looking forward to it.
It will motivate athletes in Odisha and the youth to take up sports. I'm also
from Sports Hostel in Bhubaneswar. We always wanted a synthetic training track
for training and now it is made. It will help athletes train well.”
Amiya
Kumar Mallick, national record holder in the men’s 100 metres, said: “It's an amazing feeling to host the Asian Athletics Championships (in Bhubaneswar).
Everyone is working round the clock to put on a good show.I am highly motivated
and working hard to compete and clock the best timing in my event at the AAC.”
Asian Athletics Championships
The
Asian Athletics Championships (AAC) is Asia’s flagship event organized by the
Asian Athletics Association (AAA). The capital of Odisha, Bhubaneswar will host
the 22ndedition of AAC from July 6th to July 9th 2017 at Kalinga
Stadium. India has hosted the event earlier on two occasions in New Delhi
(1989) and Pune (2013). Nearly 1000 athletes from 45 countries will participate
across track and field events. The winners of the AAC procure a direct berth in
the IAAF World Championships London, 2017.
Website: http://athleticsasia.org/index.php
Percept One
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