India have officially pulled out of the race to host the 2016 World Junior Athletics after the Athletics Federation of India(AFI) officials realised that they will be facing time constraints in organizing the event.
India was among the three countries that had expressed interest to host the Championships, the two other being Perth in Australia and Bydgoszcz in Poland. However, the latter has now been chosen as the host nation after Australia had already pulled out earlier.
The Championships were initially decided to be held in Russia
The World Championships were originally scheduled to be held at the Russian city of Kazan from July 19 to 24 next year but it was later reallocated to another country following the doping-related suspension of Russia’s membership by the IAAF. Following the stripping off of the event from Russia, an accelerated bid process was opened to choose a new venue. IAAF member federations were formally invited to submit applications by December 7 and the three countries responded.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe had commented on the situation by saying, "The IAAF is extremely grateful to its Member Federations for their support. Reallocating the U20 championships is of vital importance. We are safeguarding the dreams and aspirations of athletes worldwide."
India pulled out after realizing about the lack of time for preparations
The (AFI) officials had said that New Delhi would be the most likely venue if the country is awarded the event but later decided to pull out of the race after considering the tough race against time to host the coveted event.
"When the Athletics Federation of India expressed the interest to host the meet they were under the impression that there won't be many takers for the meet. Though the plan was to host the meet in Delhi and had the support of the govt, the officials soon realized that it would be a herculean task to host the event in such a short time," sources told TOI.
India does not have a big reputation in the World Junior Athletics scenario but the hosting of such a high-profile event would have been a huge spotlight for the young athletes of the country. However, the 2016 IAFF World Junior Championships will be held in Bydgoszcz, Poland for the second time, having hosted the event back in 2008.
