Pune to host 3-day seminar for athletics officials from Nov 24

Pune, Nov 1 (UNI) The Pune International Marathon Trust (PIMT), in the run up to the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, will be hosting the first ever state-level seminar for athletic officials at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City Mahalunge-Balewadi here from November 24-26.

The three-day seminar also coincides with the 21st edition of the Pune International Marathon to be flagged off here on November 26.

Giving the details, PIMT chairman and MP Suresh Kalmadi said the main purpose of hosting the seminar was to generate sufficent number of qualified, capable and dedicated technical officials in view of the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Pune and the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The country's top international, national and state officials will be attending the meet to update themselves with new rules prepared by the International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF), said Mr Kalmadi, who is also the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

PIMT organising secretary Pralhad Sawant, who is also the secretary general of the Maharashtra Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA), said that about 600 technical officials were expected to attend the event.

Important topics like ''Tournament Manuals'', ''New Rules'', ''Media and Athletics'', '' Use of latest computer technologies'' and other related subjects will be discussed by the experts in the three-day seminar, Mr Sawant elaborated.

The seminar will be inaugurated by AFI Technical Committee chairman S P Pillay. Some of the leading lights like international referee and judge Mr Ram Bhagwat, Mr Suresh Gujarati and Olympian Adile Sumariwala, who is also the president of the MAAA, will be present, said Mr Sawant.

The seminar will also see the appointment of the State Technical Official Board. That apart, a meeting between state technical officials and athletes will also be held for the first time, he added.

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