‘Athletes had to fly to Moscow just for biometrics’: Russian official on travel hurdles for New Delhi GP

New Delhi, March 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Even as athletes from several nations gathered in the Indian capital for the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, travel logistics and administrative requirements remained one of the key challenges for international teams making their way to the competition. Andrey Sukhov, a team official with the Russian Paralympic Committee, said participating in major international competitions is a significant milestone for para athletes who spend years preparing for such opportunities.

“First of all, it means great recognition of their merits and great recognition of their hard work during many years of training and hard work,” Sukhov told IANS on the sidelines of the event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The Russian contingent is among the international teams competing at the three-day meet, which has brought together athletes from eight countries, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Egypt.

Sukhov also noted that Russian para athletes now compete with full participation rights at the international level after earlier difficulties linked to geopolitical developments.

“We had a lot of problems and crises connected with doping and connected with the geopolitical situation, but now we are all co-opted. And now we have full right competition and full right participation at the international level,” he said.

While the team did not encounter major obstacles travelling to India, Sukhov explained that some administrative requirements posed logistical challenges for athletes based far from the Russian capital.

“To India, thanks to God, we had no such great challenges because we had no problems with visas and probably just one challenge that we had because the Indian embassy wanted to make biometrics for all participants. And they live very far from Moscow, and they had to fly to Moscow to deliver their biometrics,” he said.

The World Para Athletics has acknowledged that broader global circumstances have also affected participation in international events.

Earlier, Paul Fitzgerald said geopolitical tensions and funding constraints can limit athletes’ ability to travel and compete.

“It’s not my role to speak on global politics and conflict zones. And it's a shame because I know that there are plenty of athletes that would love to be able to travel and to come here. And this impacts funding sources. This impacts their ability to travel, which is incredibly sad because, again, we're in the business of opportunity,” Fitzgerald told IANS.

Source: IANS