Exclusive foreign coaches for Arpinder, Tajinder, says AFI

10/10/2018

AFI secretary C.K. Valson has announced that foreign coaches will be appointed for Asiad gold medalists Arpinder Singh and Tajinder Pal Singh among others. The Federation also expects “breakthrough medals” in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics from the athletes and plans are being executed to fulfil the same.

After an impressive performance at the recently concluded Asian Games in Jakarta, the Athletics Federation of India has let out the word for hiring foreign coaches to exclusive train the ace athletes.

“We will be hiring foreign coaches exclusively for triple jumper Arpinder Singh and shot putter Tajinder Pal Singh,” the AFI secretary C.K. Valson was quoted saying by The Hindu.

Valson also mentioned about the national jump camps under Romanian Bedros Bedrosian, which will be shifted from Thiruvananthapuram to Palakkad that will help out the new long jump national record-holder M. Sreeshankar along with V. Neena, the Asiad women’s long jump silver medallist.

The AFI has also expressed serious concerns on anti-doping and no-needle policy following which there would be a thorough search of athletes’ and coaches’ rooms and bags.

The federation also has plans of sending a group of athletes for international meets via which they could gain world ranking points and qualify for the Doha Worlds in September-October next year.

"The athletes should not only be satisfied with the good Asian performance but must focus to get “breakthrough medals” in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," stated AFI president Adille Sumariwalla.

AFI has also put forth arrangements to work on its junior programmes so that there is enough depth to dominate at the Asian level.