SGFI move draws flak from many quarters

Boys', girls' events to be held at separate venues

The School Games Federation of India has decided to organise athletics events for boys and girls separately this season, a move that has come under fire from former athletes and coaches, with some of them terming it as a retrogade move.

The boys’ events are to be held at Nasik in the second week of January while Pune will host the girls’ events in the last week of December, as per the SGFI calendar.

Track legend PT Usha, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, criticised the move. “It is indeed shocking news to the Indian sports community,” she said. “Whatever be the reason behind the decision, it is totally undemocratic and condemnable to the maximum extent possible.

“When the world is crying loudly against gender discrimination and for equality among men and women, this attitude of SGFI cannot be justified at any cost,” Usha said in her letter.

“Separate competitions for boys and girls or men and women were held only in very olden days,” she said.

Noting that at present International Association of Athletic Federation and Athletic Federation of India are organising combined events for men and women at the same time and the same venue with a view to help women to better their performance, Usha said SGFI’s decision is a violation of human rights.

Usha asked the PM to personally look into the matter. Dronacharya awardee Robert Bobby George also criticised the decision, terming it as a backward step.

SGFI President Satpal Singh, however, said there was no policy to hold the events separately. “There is no such policy. Sometimes we have to send either boys or girls team to a venue if it has limited facility or if it is at a faraway place.  We allot competitions to these venues so that we can keep them also in the loop.

“In athletics we have very large contingents taking part. Because of paucity of space and to make it comfortable for the athletes, we have kept it at separate venues,” he said.

However, Bobby George questioned the reasoning. “How can you say that a place like Pune does not have facilities? It has hosted big international events like the Commonwealth Youth Games before,” he said.