India gymnast Dipa Karmakar’s hopes of qualifying for the upcoming Tokyo Games took a dash as International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) called off two World Cups, which were scheduled to be held in February and March.
Doha (Qatar), Baku (Azerbaijan) and Cottbus (Germany) were scheduled to host three World Cups in February and March. The Cottbus event, which was slated to begin from February 25, was called off and the one in Baku has also been cancelled. Meanwhile, the Doha World Cup has been postponed.
However, Karmakar’s coach Bisheswar Nandi is hopeful that the international gymnastics body will look into the matter and come up with fresh dates to ensure athletes get a chance to book their ticket to Tokyo.
“A few World Cup qualifiers have been cancelled, probably FIG will give fresh dates,” Nandi, a Dronacharya awardee, told PTI. “Probably in April or May they might think of hosting the World Cups, it all depends on how things evolve and what FIG decides. We are waiting for a clearer picture to emerge,” he added.
Karmakar, who burst into the limelight in the previous Olympics held in Rio, is currently training in Agartala. Since her outing in Rio, the 27-year-old has been hit with a series of injury, starting with her anterior crucial ligament (ACL) surgery in 2017. She was also forced to withdraw from the Doha World Cup in 2019 and is yet to compete in any international event since then.
Nandi also hopes that FIG comes up with a ranking mechanism, which evaluates gymnasts on the basis of their past performances for qualification berths.
