IOA hopeful jumpers' inclusion in CWG squad

The Indian Olympic Association is hopeful that long jumper S. Sreeshankar and high jumper Siddharth Yadav will make it to the squad for the Commonwealth Games after they were not in the original list sent to the Gold Coast organisers.

The jumpers earned their CWG qualification on March 8 -- one day after the final list of athletics participants was sent to the Gold Coast CWG Organising Committee, according to IOA secretary Rajeev Mehta.

The Federation Cup of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) ran from March 5 to 8 in Patiala, Punjab, while the provisional list was sent in December 2017.

"We are deliberating with the Gold Coast organising committee regarding this issue. We are trying our best and we are hopeful that they (jumpers) will be allowed," Mehta said.

Mehta added that trials in other countries took place in as early as February to avoid the paperwork delay.

Sreeshankar jumped 7.99m was a centimetre short of the norm set by the AFI, but was included in the CWG team. Siddharth had a 2.25m climb.

--IANS

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