The revised domestic athletics season will not start in September, said Adille Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

“There is a concern about the health of the competitors as the situation isn’t under control. Hence, the federation isn’t taking any risk,” said Sumariwalla, referring the growing number of Covid-19 cases in India.

There are nearly 3 million Covid-19 cases in India now with USA and Brazil being the only countries in the world that have more.

In pre-Covid times, the season would start in February-March but couldn’t this time due to a nationwide lockdown from March to June. AFI issued a revised calendar in April with Patiala’s National Institute of Sports, where elite athletes are training, supposed to hold the season’s first competition in the second week of September. But the facility isn’t open to public yet and outsiders must be quarantined for 14 days as per Sports Authority of India (SAI) guidelines.

“Under the given circumstances, we can’t conduct any competition on the campus. And I have my doubts whether we can start competition in October,” said Sumariwalla.

Under the revised programme, AFI had scheduled the national junior inter-district competition in November but that too seems difficult as many states haven’t opened playgrounds.

Haryana has but attendance is thin. Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium too has opened but only a few are regular, said national coach Satyapal Singh, a Dronacharya award winner. “Since there is no competition, athletes aren’t keen to work out.”

Sumariwalla said top athletes in national camps in Patiala and Bengaluru though will continue training. “Camp is in progress since November (2019). The athletes were also in lockdown for two months from March onwards. Training started in the third week of May. We have advised them to avoid taking leave as it could be risky,” he said.

Yet in June, Rajiv Arokia, one of the key members of the national 4x400m relay team, went home. The sprinter from Tamil Nadu is yet to return. Recently, Manish Rawat, who finished 13th in men’s 20km race walk at 2016 Rio Olympics, left the camp in Bengaluru. “We will not take both back as they went home without informing us,” said Sumariwalla.