NEW DELHI: That India’s table tennis players are without a coach has been in the news ever since Massimo Costantini left after the Asian Games last year. While the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) did hire Dejan Papic after a long delay, his knee surgery and delayed recovery might see a new coach enter the fray.
Joerg Bitzigeio, who was formerly with the USA national team, has been approached by TTFI as Papic’s replacement. Joerg is German and was also the coach of the German youth and women’s teams. If he accepts the offer, he will not join as interim coach.
"We wanted Papic to train the boys but his injury put paid to those plans. Our paddlers need a coach as the Olympic qualifiers are around the corner. With Papic’s recovery getting delayed, we have started preliminary talks. If Joerg accepts, we will cancel Papic’s contract," a TTFI official told this daily.
Joerg had a contract with USA till 2020 but due to differences with their federation, he quit earlier this month and is currently in Germany. It has been learnt there was pressure from SAI regarding appointing a coach, which led to TTFI approaching the German. Interestingly, TTFI asked veteran player A Sharath Kamal to speak to Jorg on behalf of them.
“I spoke to him. He was asking how things function in India. How coaches are expected to perform their duties, how approvals are sought and various other things that might help him if he decides to come. I know him through my time in Germany and he is an experienced coach,” Sharath said.
TTFI’s reasoning is that Papic is sidelined at least till November and with the Olympic team qualifiers coming up in January, he would have little time to adjust to surroundings. It will be interesting to see if and when Jorg accepts the offer. Most players are hoping that the new coach arrives as soon as possible.