National championship from Jun 15

Madurai, June 3 (UNI) The prestigious 48th Velammal National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship will be held at Madurai from June 15 to 18 under the auspices of Athletic Federation of India (AFI).

Addressing a press conference here today, Organising Committee Chairman W I Davaram said the championshp holds a special significance as it will enable the athletes to qualify final selection trials of the Indian athletics team for Olympics to be held in Beijing in August this year.'' He said the championship would be organised by the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association (TNAA) and it would be a selection meet, prior to the Junior Commonwealth Games.

He said top Indian athletes like Anju Bobby George (Long Jump), Krishna Punia (Women Discus Throw), Susmitha Singha Roy (Heptathlon), Renjith M (Triple Jump) and Vikas Gowda (Men Discus Throw), who had already qualified for the Olympics, would be seen in action at the championship.

Apart from these top stars, many other athletes like Hamsa, Sinimol Paulouse, Joseph and Harwant Kaur, would take part in the meet, he added.

Mr Davaram said the latest sports equipment like photo finish, tachometer, electronic display boards, countdown timer and mega video display would be used for the first time in Tamil Nadu.

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