Tokyo Olympics 2020: AFI chief Adille Sumariwalla lauds organisers for 'excellent and outstanding job' with athletics events

Tokyo: World Athletics Council member and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla on Thursday lauded the Japanese organisers for the "efficient" and "outstanding" delivery of track and field events at the ongoing Olympic Games in Tokyo.Sumariwalla said though these Games were "different" due to the strict restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers have done everything under their command to stage a "fantastic" Olympics."This Olympics is different in its own way (due to the pandemic) but this is fantastic. In the circumstances, they (the organisers) have done an excellent and outstanding job," Sumariwalla told PTI in an interview."Everything is going on very efficiently here and we have no complaints," he added.Sumariwalla said the successful delivery of the track and field events and the quality of competitions should enhance athletics' reputation as number one Olympic sport."It's a truly global sport, the number one Olympic sport and Tokyo Olympics will only strengthen it. Athletics has become a means to connect people in the world in these COVID-19 times," he said."Research has shown that there is tremendous increase in the number of people taking to running. It's in a way saving the health budgets of countries all over the world as people will be fitter and less prone to diseases."We will take advantage of this to try and spread the sport in places where the imprint of athletics is less," he added.Asked how he sees athletics in the Olympics in the post-Usain Bolt era, he said, "Great athletes will come and go but the sport will keep on growing."There was a Jesse Owens in 1930s and after him some other came. New champions will keep on coming and we have seen new champions who have rewritten world records which are likely to remain for a long time."Sumariwalla said the organisers have enforced the health and safety protocols strictly and everybody will have to follow them."Nobody is the exception. We are all in the COVID bubble, it is from hotel to stadium and back only, we cannot go anywhere outside. We cannot go on the road and cannot go for jogging," he said."Everyday, we have to give saliva test and furnish body temperature four or five times a day. You have to eat only inside the hotel and not outside."The former 100m runner, who took part in 1980 Olympics, is also pleased that the blue-riband track and field events have taken over the centre-stage at the Olympics. Three world records and 11 Olympic records have already been set with three days still left in the athletics competition."Olympics is the biggest stage and the quality of competitions has been top class. Not only the world records but the quality of these world records has been outstanding. You will not see these for ages," he said referring to world records set by Norway's Karsten Warholm (45.94s) and American Sydney McLaughlin (51.46s) in men's and women's 400m hurdles respectively.He is not, however, surprised at these world records coming up in the Tokyo Games."There were so many world records in the run up to the Games, for the last six months. It is not that they have come suddenly, so I am not surprised."Sumariwalla also brushed aside the talks that the "fast" Mondo tracks in use at the Olympic Stadium could have helped the athletes in setting these astounding world records."Is Mondo a fast track? Yes, it is a fast track. It is a very good track and it has been in use for the last 10 Olympics, 10 World Championships. It is a tested product."There is a certification of the track. It should be a class one certified track for all big championships, including Olympics. There are specifications in that and if it's within those certifications, that is fine. I don't buy these things (records coming due only to fast tracks)."