Understanding Manika Batra vs TTFI vs National Coach Roy

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The Indian Table Tennis Federation (TTFI) has requested national coach Soumyadeep Roy’s response to Manika Batra’s accusations and its executive board is expected to meet on September 11 to deliberate on the matter. A commission of inquiry is also likely to be set up to examine the charges.

Following a justification notice issued by the TTFI regarding Manika refusing the help of Roy during his singles matches at the Tokyo Olympics, the world number one. 65 had alleged that she was invited to pitch her match by the said coach earlier this year to ease the path to qualification for her fellow Indian, Sutirtha Mukherjee. Roy, in addition to being a national coach, is also Sutirtha’s coach and trains her at his private academy in Kolkata.

The standoff between TTFI and Manika continues to simmer.

These are the key hot spots of the brawl –

Accusations of pressure to “start matches”

In her August 26 response to TTFI’s show cause notice, Manika alleged that she was “forced to concede” her match by the national coach at the qualifying tournament in March so that “her student” ( Sutirtha) could qualify for the Olympics. . She mentions having then “quickly reported the case to a TTFI official” and also claims to be in possession of evidence to corroborate her accusation.

Speaking to ESPN, TTFI general secretary Arun Banerjee said Roy had been asked to respond to the charges. “The question is why Manika waited until the end of the Olympics to raise this issue? We do not know that she informed us in March of such an incident. We will set up a commission of inquiry and examine all charges. “

TTFI advisor MP Singh was of the opinion that while such a request had been made by Roy, it was not entirely out of place. “It is a practice that takes place around the world to maximize a country’s participation in the Games. If a player’s qualification is assured, in all sports and countries the idea is generally to offer a luck to a compatriot who has yet to qualify. Of course, these are just allegations. TTFI will await Roy’s response. Only then can a decision be made. “

The Enigma of the Coach

After his personal trainer Sanmay Paranjape was not allowed access to the playing field (FOP) during the Tokyo Olympics, Manika mentions in his response that national coach Roy asked him a few minutes before his first match. turn if he could sit in his corner instead. She declines the offer and notes what she felt: it was better to have “no coach at all” than to be “demoralized” by the presence of a coach who had pressed her there. four months to “arrange a game for his student.”

She goes on to note that she had not objected to his presence in her mixed doubles matches with Sharath Kamal, but was completely within her right to take an appeal for her singles matches. Manika also speaks of a “history of pressure tactics from the same coach” and of having been forced to sign a letter in February 2020 recommending his name for the post of national coach.

“To portray Roy as a personal trainer is unfair,” says Banerjee, “He is a national coach and belongs to all players equally.”

Compulsory camps

In a circular dated August 4, TTFI announced its decision to make national camps compulsory for all selected players, with no possibility of “exceptions” or “leniency”. Among the nine point rules listed are mandatory player attendance, “from day 1 to end of camp” and “only players who are part of a national camp prior to a specific tournament” to be considered eligible for selection. .

G Sathiyan and Manika had requested a camp exemption for the Asian Championships which kicked off in Sonepat on September 2. While Manika has expressed his desire to continue training at his base in Pune, Sathiyan is currently playing in the Polish Superliga. Sutirtha also apologized from the camp for health reasons. According to the new regulations, in order for a player to be exempted for medical reasons, he must obtain a certificate from the IAS College of Physicians. Sutirtha, says Singh, fulfilled these criteria.

Two days ago, Sathiyan changed his mind and informed TTFI that he would join the camp, midway through September 11, which was accepted by the federation.

Both Manika and Sathiyan have had encouraging recent results. Sathiyan won the Czech Open singles title and, along with Manika, finished mixed doubles champion at the WTT Contender in Budapest last month. In the women’s singles event of the tournament, Manika advanced to the semi-final. However, she has yet to make herself available for the camp and it remains to be seen how the TTFI will handle the situation involving the star player from India.

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