4 min readApr 18, 2026 08:41 PM IST Athletics Federation of India (AFI) spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla has made a startling claim that 90 percent of the synthetic tracks used in the country currently are substandard in terms of material, laying and marking. Sumariwalla added that the governing body was unhappy with the infrastructure quality that has been certified in India, adding that the federation would look to ensure that all requirements are met. “I’m not going to name the tracks, but I can tell you 90% plus tracks in India are substandard material-wise, laying-wise, marking-wise. We had a meeting with World Athletics in Tokyo (last year during World Championships), they showed us some data, which was quite shocking,” Sumariwalla said during a virtual press conference. “The material used is substandard, the process is substandard, the granules used are substandard, the laying methodology is substandard.” During the Annual General meeting of AFI in Kohima on April 14 and 15, the federation decided to get involved in the track certification. “They (World Athletics) were not happy with …