The 1988 Seoul Olympic gold medalist Bubka of Ukraine, who is also serving as Vice President of International Athletics Federation (IAF), on his one day visit on Saturday, promised to help sports of the country rise from the rubble.Pole vault's six-time world champion and four-time indoor world champion Bubka who landed in Kathmandu on Friday night spent the next day visiting places affected by earthquake and talking to athletes, coaches, members of Nepal Olympic Committee and other sports associations.
"I came to support the country in a sad moment which has pulled global attention. The visit will also be crucial in shaping the future of Nepali sports as global sports community have expressed solidarity to support the country," said Bubka, who also visited the quake hit areas of the valley including Basantpur and Bhaktapur.
He also assured that IAF was ready to construct synthetic track if the government provides land and fulfills some basic requirements. "We need government's partnership for that," added Bubka, who promised that he will ask all the athletics federations to provide funds to support Nepali sports during IAF Congress to be held in Beijing, China.
Bubka also the chairman of the development committee at IAF said discussions on providing scholarships to talented players, sending coaches and constructing infrastructure will also be held during meetings of IAF.
Although, Bubka expressed commitment on many issues of development, he cautioned all would depend on Nepal's response.
"We had requested a team of coaches and other technical persons either from IOC or IAF to study the needs and prepare a report based on the study," said Nepal Athletics Association President Rajib Bikram Shah stating IAF had recently provided $15,000 to the association.
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