Nagpur all set for West Zone athletics meet

Nagpur : COMPETITIONS at the newly constructed synthetic track at Divisional Sports Complex, Mankapur will begin with the 29th West Zone Athletics Championship from September 16. The first-ever event on the newly-laid international standard track will be flagged off by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, it will not be inauguration of the track.

Divisional Commissioner Anup Kumar said the CM will be present for the track and field events but it will not be a formal inauguration.

“CM Fadnavis will be present for the West Zone Athletics Championship. He will declare the championship open on the newly-laid synthetic track. The formal inauguration will only be held after completion of the pavilion building which is still under construction,” Anup Kumar told ‘The Hitavada’.

The work of the pavilion building has stopped midway due to paucity of funds. It will require another Rs 9 crore to complete the entire project, it has been learnt.

Handing over of the track by the NIT to the Divisional Sports Complex Committee and then to the West Zone Championship Organising Committee will take place on Saturday.

President of Athletics Federation of India and executive committee member of International Association of Athletics Federations Adille Sumariwalla will also remain present during the competition.

The West Zone Championship will see athletes from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh fighting for the top honours.

The organisers are expecting around 700 athletes from various states during the competition. The championship will be held in Under-14, Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 age category.