Senior and junior Indian paddlers to get separate foreign coaches
The India table tennis officials have decided to appoint two separate foreign coaches for the junior and the senior national teams after Massimo Costantini. After serving as the head coach successfully for two years, Constantini decided not to continue with the Indian paddlers after September 30.
The Italian coach Massimo Costantini, who phenomenally serviced Indian TT team for two years, has decided to walk down from coaching Indian paddlers as his tenure officially expires on 30th September.
According to the table tennis officials, the Sports Authority Of India (SAI) has given a nod to appoint a coach individually for the junior and the senior teams after the spectacular performance at the Asian Games where India bagged a couple of bronze medals.
”We have to have two separate foreign coaches for seniors and juniors. With senior likes of Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das not getting any younger, we have to ensure the feeder lines keeps producing world-class players,” the secretary general of the Table Tennis Federation Of India (TTFI) MP Singh told PTI.
There are experienced players in the senior category like Sharath Kamal, who has been India’s finest player for last 15 years, and 34-year-old veteran Mouma Das. For now, there are enough players to choose from in the men’s team but among the female paddlers, Manika Batra, who has done well recently, is lacking the support to challenge powerful opponents.
Dhanraj Choudhary, a table tennis administrator and also an advisor to TTFI said, “2018 has been the best ever year for Indian table tennis. Results have been coming and to continue this upward trend, we have to strengthen our junior programme”. He also further added, “ Now, the junior head coach will be based out of India for the term of his contract. We have already recommended six to seven names to SAI. The appointment will be made soon”.
It is always tedious for a senior coach to travel along with the junior team to the important events like the Youth Olympics.
“Though 2019 is a lean year, the focus has already shifted to the 2020 Olympics. And for the CWG and Asian Games in 2022, we need to start now. That is why we felt the need of a full-time junior coach,” said MP Singh.
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