Table Tennis camp likely in Bengaluru, top stars might avoid

Quite a few top players have foreign league commitments while others are apprehensive of traveling down to Bengaluru especially after five hockey stars tested Covid-19 positive recently.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

NEW DELHI: It has been a hit and miss with regards to SAI trying to resume national camps for various sports in the country so far. While talks regarding the national camp for paddlers is progressing well, there are still a few hurdles to cross.

After the table tennis stars were told that there was no equipment inside the SAI centre in Bengaluru, talks of conducting the camp in the city had died down. But after some high-level discussions, the plan is on now with SAI set to procure eight tables.

These tables will be placed inside the indoor basketball hall of the campus. A prominent paddler's coach and a TTFI official had gone to recce the hall and see if it was suitable and they have given the green light.

Proper lighting might be installed as well.

SAI is planning to start the camp in September but finding the right mix of players and coaches might be the next hurdle.

Quite a few top players have foreign league commitments while others are apprehensive of traveling down to Bengaluru especially after five hockey stars tested Covid-19 positive recently.

India's highest-ranked paddler A Sharath Kamal is game but the likes of G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai want to go abroad and start playing for their respective clubs next month.

Also, the quarantine rules might not be to everyone's liking with fourteen days of non-practice especially after quite a few of them finally starting training in private clubs.

The plan is to have six men and as many women athletes for the camp and the Bengaluru campus might become the national training centre going forward.

The ideal duration would be three weeks but that will be finalised later.

"We might have to look for alternatives which include asking other players inside the domestic top 10 among both men and women. As for the coaching part, a local coach might be the best bet currently," a source close to developments told on condition of anonymity.

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