NEW DELHI: India’s junior table tennis coach Brett Clarke is set to leave after his contract with Sports Authority of India (SAI) got over in June. During his tenure, he not only managed the junior team but was also part of a few senior team assignments because India does not have a chief foreign coach.
The Australian’s departure would mean there are no foreign coaches at the Table Tennis Federation of India’s (TTFI) disposal. And it does not seem likely that a fresh appointment will be made anytime soon due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the table tennis calendar.
The TTFI had earlier planned to recruit a coach after talking to certain candidates during the World Championships. The option it is currently considering is that of Yin Wei, who was enlisted for the Coal India-SAI National Table Tennis Academy in Kolkata. “We might ask Yin. Hiring a new coach amid this pandemic is not easy. So we might consider him for the role,” a top TTFI official told this daily.
In his previous stint in India, the Chinese was coach at the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy’s set-up in Ajmer, up where he trained talents such as Soumyajit Ghosh and Harmeet Desai. This could work in his favour, but age might be a factor if he does attend the national camp once it is held. The SAI’s SOP clearly states nobody above 65 will be allowed.
Senior players like A Sharath Kamal applauded Clarke’s services while maintaining the need for a coach, especially with the Olympics coming up next year. “Brett was a good coach who helped both seniors and juniors. He was there when I won the Oman Open as well. It will be a loss. We need a coach so hopefully, someone will be appointed soon or maybe the responsibility will be given to someone else,” he said.
Since Massimo Costantini left his job as chief coach in 2018, Indian coaches like Soumyadeep Roy, Arup Basak and a couple of others have been helping by filling in the gap. “It will not be easy to get a coach currently. If the federation gives us the responsibility, we can definitely be of use. We know the system and the entire Indian coaches’ ecosystem will also benefit,” Roy said.
Top Indian players are currently at home and do not want to venture out for any camp considering the rise in Covid-19 cases.