Delay In Granting Visas To Pakistani Athletes Leads To Postponement Of South Asian Senior Athletics Championships: Report
AFI has yet again postponed the meet, pushing it to be held in the second or third week of June, tentatively.
The South Asian Senior Athletics Championships suffer yet another setback, being postponed for the second time, seemingly due to the delay in granting visas to Pakistani athletes, including Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem.
The 4th South Asian Senior Athletics Championship, set to be held at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Ranchi, will see countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives participating.
The event is also supposed to serve as a qualifier for regional and international competitions.
The fourth edition of the tournament held by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), which was originally slated to take place from October 4-6, 2024, in Ranchi, was initially postponed to May 3-5, 2025.
But now, due to unforeseen circumstances, the AFI has yet again postponed the meet, pushing it to be held in the second or third week of June, tentatively.
'Reference to the Circular dated 4 April 2025 regarding South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championships scheduled to be held from 3rd to 5th May 2025 at Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. In this regard, it is informed that the South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championships 2025 have been postponed, and the new dates will be announced soon," a letter signed by AFI secretary Sandeep Mehta read.
While no reason for postponement has been officially given, reports from The Indian Express have stated that much of the delay concerns visas not being granted for athletes from Pakistan.
The Indian Express.
'There is no clarity on the new dates of the tournament, but the event will likely be pushed to the second or third week of June, depending on the clarity on the visas of Pakistani athletes," the source added.
A list of 43 athletes, including reigning Olympic Javelin Champion Arshad Nadeem, was sent by Pakistan.
The report also stated that another reason behind the postponement was interference with the schedule of the Asian Athletics Championships (set to begin on May 27 in Gumi, South Korea).
Multiple decorated athletes such as Nadeem, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Yupun Abeykoon of Sri Lanka, and 2022 Asian Games 400m bronze medallist Aruna Darshana of Sri Lanka, have confirmed their participation for the event in Korea this May.
No official word on the rescheduled dates for the South Asian Senior Athletics Championships has arrived yet.
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