Former Indian athlete Tony Daniel passes away

The Athletic Federation of India (AFI) has condoled the demise of joint secretary and chairman of its technical committee, Dr. Tony Daniel, who passed away at the age of 66.

Expressing grief on the demise of former Indian sprinter Daniel, AFI President Adille J Sumariwalla said, "It is a great loss for AFI. It is very sad. Tony was an experienced member of the AFI family and he will be missed a lot. On behalf of AFI, I would like to express our deepest condolences to his family."

Meanwhile, AFI Secretary and a close friend of Daniel CK Valson said, "I spoke to Tony at 7 a.m. this very morning and it is really shocking to me. I have lost a close friend of years. He was always there with me playing a major role in the conduct of all major competitions in India over the years. I will miss him a lot. May God gives strength to his family to bear this great loss."

Daniel, who was a former athlete, felt slight discomfort today morning before he was rushed to the hospital, where he breathed his last. He was survived by his wife and daughter.

Born in Ernakulam, Tony represented Kerala State and University on many occasions at the national championships both in junior and senior categories between 1968 and 1972.

He was the State Sprint Champion in 1970 and held the record for many years. One of his district records stood intact for 30 years!

He served as the Secretary of Kerala Athletics Association for eight years and was Executive Vice-President of the Association till his demise. He was associated with the Kerala State Sports Council on various capacities and organized numerous state, university, inter-university, national and international competitions during his life-time.

He was also the Deputy Competition Manager during the Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010 and Competition Director (Athletics) in South Asian Games, Guwahati 2016. A qualified IAAF technical official and lecturer, Tony officiated in many international championships in various countries.

He also served as the Team Manager of the national squad in last year's World championships in London.