New Delhi: The Steering Committee on Athletics for Olympics, 2012 constituted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Sports) has approved the foreign training of following nine athletes along with their coaches under National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) Scheme. These Athletes have either qualified for Olympics 2012 or are likely to qualify.

The Committee has also approved the Calendar for Training & Competitions (CTC) submitted by Athletic Federation of India for the period from January, 2012 to June, 2012 and a CTC for Domestic Coaching Camps and Competitions. The Committee also decided that from now on and up until Olympics, 2012 foreign exposure to Athletes must be restricted to only those Athletes who have either already qualified or are very likely to qualify for London, 2012.

The Committee also considered the issue of Coaching with special emphasis on Indian Coaches and Foreign Coaches. Reviewing the performance of Indian Coaches, the Committee noted that all Indian Coaches are performing satisfactorily. The Committee approved the appointment of Gurdev Singh as Indian Coach for the Athletes Team. The Committee also asked Sports Authority of India (SAI) to examine the list of foreign coaches of the Indian Athletics team and check whether these foreign coaches are actually being utilised for imparting customised training to the core probables only and also review whether appropriate foreign coaches have been hired by SAI to impart event specific training to the concerned core probables.

The Committee also discussed the preparation of Indian Athletics team for the London Olympics, 2012. The Committee discussed the probables who are likely to qualify for the Olympics, 2012 and to focus all energy on them so that better results could be obtained in the event.