CM condemns P U Chithra's omission from World Championships as athlete set to move HC
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Kochi: Kerala athlete P U Chitra, who has been omitted from the Indian squad for next month’s World Athletics Championships, will move the High Court challenging the decision of the Athletics Federation of India.
Chitra, who won the 1, 500m gold in the recent Asian Championships, is eligible to compete in the Worlds being the Asian champion. However, the AFI has omitted her citing her timing is far below the world standards.
Chitra’s coach N S Sijin who told the media that they would approach the Kerala High Court for justice, added that none of the prominent Keralites in the AFI spoke for Chitra.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the decision of the AFI was condemnable. “If the decision to exclude Chitra was to include officials in the Indian contingent it just can't be accepted”, he said.
The CM also said that the government will exert pressure on the sports ministry to include Chitra in the Indian squad for the championships to be held in London from August 4 to 13.