New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Saturday announced that it will take disciplinary action against “erring athletes” who train and compete abroad without its written permission.

AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagoo said the performance of such athletes will also be considered invalid for record books.

He said AFI will start taking action from this month onwards.

“Disciplinary action will be taken against individual athletes who don’t take prior permission to compete and train on foreign soil from the national governing body of track and field in the country,” Sagoo said.

“The performance of the athletes will be invalid for record books if they don’t take mandatory approval of the AFI for an international exposure. To safeguard the interest of the athletes AFI has set a specific time period to grant permission to train and compete abroad.” The AFI said athletes going for an international exposure tour without prior permission severely impacts its strategy to field national teams for major competitions, including Olympics and Asian Games.

“AFI must be aware of the number of individual athletes competing abroad and the purpose of an international exposure,” Sagoo said.

“Irrespective of their level or institutional affiliation, the athletes must obtain prior written permission from the AFI office before sending entries to compete for any international competition on foreign soil in future.” Top AFI officials had told PTI earlier that the federation was not happy with many athletes competing abroad without taking written permission in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The AFI’s decision came after a virtual meeting of its Core Committee in March to address and frame policy regarding international exposure, including training, of the athletes.

Sagoo said the AFI will frame guidelines to ensure transparency when permission for competition and training abroad is sought by an athlete.

While submitting an application to the AFI, the athlete must specify details of the competition and the country where it will be held. AFI will review each application within one week of receipt. If necessary, the AFI may interact with the athlete for additional clarification.

“The athlete must apply at least 30 days prior to the date of the competition to AFI along with proof of an invitation. Recommendation letter from respective department or institution is mandatory, if applicable,” the AFI president said.

“The approval or rejection of the permission shall be communicated in writing within a one week.” Sagoo also said that the AFI has framed a policy to ensure that individual athletes do not evade dope tests. PTI PDS PDS AT AT