What is Continental Tour? World Athletics event being held in India for the first time
In athletics, the World Athletics Continental Tour is an annual series of track and field meetings that serves as the second tier of international one-day competitions, following the Diamond League. It provides a structured pathway for athletes to compete, earn prize money, and accumulate world ranking points.The tour is categorised into Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels, with each level offering varying degrees of competition and prize money.The Indian leg will have a combined prize pool of USD 25,000 (approx. Rs 21.89 lakh).Star Attractions in the Continental TourIn the Indian leg, the men's javelin event is expected to be the top draw. Though two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra is missing from the competition, Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh will spearhead India's challenge. Sri Lankans Sumeda Ranasinghe and Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage will also fancy their chances.Special focus will be on young Pathirage, who recently won a bronze medal at the Neeraj Chopra Classic, outperforming the likes of Sachin Yadav and Thomas Rhler.Countries Participating in the Continental TourIndia understandably has the largest number of athletes in the tournament (97). Nepal has sent 13 athletes, followed by Sri Lanka (10) and Malaysia (9). South Africa and Great Britain have sent four athletes each.'It is mandatory to include one throwing and one jumping event. The competition should have a minimum of 12 disciplines, including five women's events. Certain events couldn't be included as the duration of a one-day Continental Tour event, as per WA guidelines, is two hours and 30 minutes,' Sagoo said in Delhi on August 6.Indian Continental Tour OrganisersThe competition is being organised by the Odisha government along with the AFI, which is handling the technical aspects. The Odisha government is managing the funding and hospitality for the athletes and officials.advertisement'Odisha has hosted major championships including the Asian Athletics Championships in 2017 and back-to-back Hockey World Cups (2018 and 2023). So, we have the confidence to host such international events,' said Sachin Jadhav, Sports Secretary of the Odisha government.'We have the infrastructure and expertise in providing top-class hospitality to the participating athletes and officials,' he added.AFI officials are hoping for a successful hosting of the event so they can bid for a Silver or Gold level Continental Tour event next year.Top Indian Stars in CompetitionBesides the men's javelin, other events expected to witness tight competition include men's and women's 400m and women's long jump. The men's 100m dash may also see sparks, with national record holder Animesh Kujur (10.18 seconds) going up against Malaysia's Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, who ran a wind-assisted 10.01 seconds and a legal 10.20 seconds in May.In women's long jump, Shaili Singh (season's best 6.64m) and Ancy Sojan (6.54m) will be up against Alice Hopkins of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who has a season's best of 6.59m.South Africa's Shirley Nekhubui, part of their bronze-winning 4x400m relay team, will compete in the individual 400m, with a season's best of 51.28 seconds. Aishwarya Mishra (SB: 51.12 seconds) and Vithya Ramraj (SB: 52.81 seconds) will lead India's challenge.advertisementThe men's 400m event will feature top Indians like Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh, Jay Kumar, and Amoj Jacob, taking on Sri Lanka's Kalinga Hewa Kumarage, who won bronze at the Asian Championships in May.Other top Indians in the fray include long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, who has won three straight titles post-comeback, and 800m national record holder Mohammed Afsal. Gulveer Singh, national record holder in the 5000m and 10,000m, is skipping the event as he is competing abroad.- Ends
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