National Junior Athletics: only 62 of 128 Kerala juniors enter amid clash

The 41st National Junior Athletics Championships opened at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday, 23 October 2026, and run until 27 October. For many young athletes from Kerala, the meet has collided with the Kerala State School Sports Meet, which begins in Kozhikode on Sunday, 25 October. Of the 128 Kerala athletes who were eligible for the national meet, only 62 had registered by 8 pm on Thursday, 22 October, according to a report from Kerala. School-level athletes say they must choose between competing against the country's best juniors and returning home for the state school games, which count towards academic grace marks.

The National Junior Athletics Championships are the main age-group meet in Indian athletics. It is where coaches and the national federation see who is the fastest, strongest and most promising teenager in each event, and where young athletes measure themselves against rivals from other states for the first time. A good result here can lead to national camps, junior international selection and sports scholarships. Missing it means waiting a full year for the next edition.

For a school student in Kerala, however, the State School Sports Meet carries a different kind of weight. Kerala's school system gives grace marks to students who perform in recognised sports events, and those marks are added to board examination scores. In 2025, the state raised the grace marks for students who take part in national-level sports events, from 25 to 35, according to reports at the time. For a Class 10 or Class 12 student, those marks can make a difference to admissions. According to the report from Kerala, athletes at the national meet have had to choose between the two events to secure their grace marks, because they need to be back in Kerala for the school meet, which starts on Sunday.

The clash also shows the cost that young athletes and their families carry. Some of the Kerala athletes in Chennai reportedly paid for their own travel. A student who goes to Chennai, competes, and then rushes back to Kozhikode faces a long journey between two competitions within days, which is hard on the body for any athlete, let alone a teenager.

The registration figure stands out: about half of the state's eligible athletes had not entered the national championship by the evening before it began. Students who skip the national meet lose a rare chance to be seen by national coaches; students who skip the school meet risk their grace marks.

Short-term: Some of Kerala's best junior athletes may miss events in Chennai, or compete in one meet tired from the other. Results at the national meet may not show the full strength of Kerala's juniors this year.

Long-term: The clash raises the question of whether the national federation and state school sports bodies can plan their calendars together, so that students do not have to choose between a national title and their exam marks. If clashes keep happening, talented school athletes may lose chances to be seen by national selectors.

Who is affected: Junior athletes from Kerala aged 14 to 19 and their families and coaches, the Kerala education and sports departments, the Athletics Federation of India, and athletes from other states who would have faced Kerala's juniors in Chennai.

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