After 45 years, the city is set to host the Senior State Athletics Championship. Following a six-year hiatus, the Maharashtra Athletics Association has granted Nagpur District Athletics Association (NDAA) its request, awarding Nagpur the senior championship. The 72nd Maharashtra State Senior Athletics Championship is scheduled to take place at Nagpur University’s newly laid synthetic track from June 1 to 3. NDAA secretary Sharad Suryawanshi confirmed this to the media.
Suryawanshi said having a synthetic track is important for hosting the top athletics event in Maharashtra for seniors. He mentioned that we have been demanding to host the senior state championship for the past five to six years since getting its first synthetic track at Mankapur. Finally, our request was accepted, that too in the Olympic year”. The last time Nagpur hosted the senior state meet was way back in 1979 at the mud track of Ishwar Deshmukh College of Physical Education.
Athletes selected from the upcoming senior state championship will have the opportunity to represent Maharashtra in the 63rd National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Panchkula from June 27 to 30 – the final qualifying event for the 2024 Olympics. Additionally, participants from the Nagpur meet will be chosen to compete in the 63rd National Open Athletics Championship in Bengaluru from August 30 to September 2, as well as the National Youth (U-18) athletics meet in Chhattisgarh from June 15-17. Both the Senior Inter-State and Youth Nationals serve as important steps towards qualification for the Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Paris from July 24 to August 11.
The three-day senior state championship is set to feature a total of 32 track and field events, attracting over 600 athletes from various parts of Maharashtra. Notably, Nagpur had successfully organized the U-18 and U-20 state championships in 2019, including some cross-country events. However, due to the lack of a synthetic track, the Nagpur District Athletics Association (NDAA) was unable to host the Senior event.
NDAA’s long wait for Maharashtra’s premier athletics event reached its conclusion when MAA president Adille Sumariwalla and secretary Satish Uchil awarded the 72nd edition of the meet to Nagpur.