India’s star athletes Vikas Gowda, Nirmala Sheoran and Lalita Babar are set to be omitted from India’s athletics squad for the upcoming Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, The Times of India reported.
Their participation was ruled out after all three chose to skip the Federation Cup Athletics Championship, which was made mandatory for athletes interested in participating at the CWG.
Babar, a long-distance runner, cited fitness issues as reason for opting out. Discus thrower Gowda and 400m runner Sheoran, however, did not give any reason skipping the event.
Gowda was India’s lone gold medallist in athletics in the previous edition of the CWG. According to the report, the US-based athlete did not want to travel to India and was instead planning to earn qualification through an international meet closer to the US.
The AFI, though, had informed him that he can participate in an event only where other members of India’s athletics contingent were also participating, the report added.
The AFI is unlikely to allow participation of Indian athletes for any further events.
Sheoran meanwhile could not be contacted by the AFI in the lead up to the event. She had also skipped the the national camp earlier this year.