Ultimate Table Tennis: The need for a High Performance Director class, says Sharath Kamal

Sharath Kamal says HPD is helping TTFI on the administrative front. | Image credit: PTI

A. Sharath Kamal, who is currently appearing in his fifth Asian Games, has highlighted the need for the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) to appoint a High Performance Director (HPD) and a Full-time Overseas Coach.

HPD is the need of the hour. There are a few posts that are the need of the hour. Coach, it’s been almost five years, Sharath, the Chennai Lions captain in the fourth round of the Ultimate Table Tennis tournament, told The Hindu after securing a semi-final spot for his team.

With the TTFI in management turmoil for most of the last three years, a high performance manager may be the missing link to ensure a smooth dialogue between the management and the paddlers. Since Massimo Constantinis’ second stint ended in 2018, India have been without a foreign head coach.

Of course we are busy with Indian coaches. Of course, Kamlesh Sir (Kamlesh Mehta, the seven-time champion who is the general secretary of TTFI) is trying his best to get Subhajit (Saha) and Mamata (Prabhu) as national team coaches, but they are doing an honorable job,” Sharath said.

The 41-year-old Sharath, who celebrated his 41st birthday on the eve of the start of UTT, explained the limits from the perspective of coaches and players. Their involvement, responsibility, accountability and authority are limited, so it becomes very difficult. So a foreign coach and HPD are essential. He said, not only the national men’s and women’s coaches, but also the coaches who will work with the Indian team for the next three to four years.

After returning from the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta with two medals, India’s first table tennis player Sharath feels that the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September-October is critical to get additional funding for table tennis from the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Of course Kamlesh sir is working in that direction but we have to find a way out. We are in a situation where you have to have 200 days of camps (for SAI) to pay them. So we have to find a way to control the situation and of course the Asian Games will be important from that point of view as well.