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Indian Weightlifting Federation warns of lesser medals in CWG

Indian Weightlifting Federation has warned that the country might end up with very few medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the lif

ters are training without basic equipment, food supplements and enough coaches due to Sports Ministry’s apathy.

IWF General Secretary Baldev Raj Gulati said the lifters have been facing problems galore at the two training centres – Bangalore SAI Centre and Army Sports Institute Pune — as they lack even the bare necessities for training.

The core group athletes were selected for intensive training of at least 20 months to get maximum medals in the Games to be hosted by the national capital.

Weightlifters had accounted for a major chunk of medals in the last two Commonwealth Games (27 out of 69 in Manchester and nine out of 50 in Melbourne).

“Weightlifting accounts for a major share of medals in the Commonwealth Games but SAI and Sports Ministry have not provided enough basic equipments or food supplements. We are also finding it difficult to get the recommended number of coaches because they are not being given lucrative money for the one and half years of assignment,” Gulati said.