Ludhiana: Elite track and field athletes have been thrown a career lifeline, with administrators organizing an emergency qualification meet in Ludhiana after extreme weather ruined their chances of making the Commonwealth Games squad.The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) confirmed the Indian Athletics Series meet on June 13 will now serve as an official last-chance selection trial for the Glasgow Games. The decision follows a disastrous final day at the National Senior Federation Cup in Ranchi, where a sudden shift to unfavorable local weather caused top-tier competitors to miss their performance benchmarks.The selection pivot comes after the nation’s entire roster of elite javelin throwers failed to breach the strict 82.61-meter Commonwealth Games qualification threshold during the Ranchi trials. Following the competition, a delegation of athletes formally appealed to the governing body, arguing that the extreme weather conditions had severely compromised their performances.“The selection committee unanimously agreed to give eligible athletes another platform to achieve their qualification standards,” said AFI selection chairman Adille Sumariwalla. “Several athletes narrowly missed our criteria in Ranchi purely because they were unable to deliver their best in those local conditions.”To maintain selection integrity and prevent opportunistic entries, the AFI has ruled that the Ludhiana lifeline is strictly reserved for athletes who actually lined up and competed during the grueling four-day meet in Ranchi.Athletes who already secured their Commonwealth Games spots during the Ranchi events will have their selections honored, though they are permitted to compete in Ludhiana if they want extra match fitness.National selectors confirmed that all original Commonwealth Games entry guidelines remain unchanged, and the upcoming Ludhiana event will focus primarily on disciplines where athletes finished just short of the official qualifying marks.
