The Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Wednesday extended the contract of 32 foreign coaches in 11 disciplines till September end next year to ensure continuity in the training of athletes till Tokyo Olympics.
Top coaches among the 32 included Santiago Nieva and Raffaele Bergamasco in boxing, Graham Reid (men’s hockey) and Pavel Smirnov (shooting) among others. The contracts of many of these coaches were to end in September this year.
National football coach Igor Stimac’s contract was also extended although it has nothing to do with the Olympics. He was appointed in May last year for a two year tenure.
The SAI said the decision was taken to ensure that athletes bound for Tokyo Games, postponed by a year, have continuity in their training.
“The postponement of Tokyo Olympics by a year makes it imperative that the same coaches be retained so that athletes are not disadvantaged,” Sports Minster Kiren Rijiju said. “A new coach takes time to understand an athlete and the athlete needs time to understand the training process of a coach. We don’t have that kind of time now.”
A SAI source said that the terms and conditions of the contracts, including the remuneration, remain the same as earlier.