Indian Men's 4x400m Relay Squad Faces New Olympic Criteria

World Athletics (WA) has revised the criteria for naming relay squads for the Paris Olympics, causing confusion. Under the new rules, a reserve athlete will not have full accreditation but can reside in the Games Village. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) plans to comply with these updated guidelines.

World Athletics' recent changes in criteria for naming relay squads for the Paris Olympics have created some confusion. The national federation, however, assured on Sunday that there should not be any issue in India including six runners in the men's 4x400m team.

Due to the number of projected qualified athletes exceeding the 1810 maximum quota set by the International Olympic Committee, WA has reportedly decided to reduce the overall entries. Under the new criteria, a country can name five athletes with full accreditation and one alternate, but the reserve athlete will no longer qualify for full accreditation. They will act as an additional alternate and can reside in the Games Village within the National Olympic Committee's existing bed allocation.

When queried about naming six athletes in its relay team, AFI President Adille Sumariwalla confirmed there is 'no problem'. Another AFI official confirmed that the federation will 'follow the rules' as required. The Indian Olympic Association can accommodate additional athletes outside the Games Village if necessary.

(With inputs from agencies.)