Sports Ministry now plans TOPS-like scheme for coaches

New Delhi: India is still dependent on foreign coaches to train elite athletes in almost every sport. Despite talks about the need to develop quality Indian coaches, the situation on the ground remains bleak. With India now setting its sights on hosting the 2036 Olympics, the Sports Ministry has identified this as a gap that needs to be plugged.

Raising world class, home grown coaches and support staff will be an important factor towards enhancing India’s medal chances at the Olympics. This issue was discussed in a meeting Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had with officials of the National Sports Federations on Tuesday.

To change the situation, the ministry plans to start a programme on the lines of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for athletes, to create a large pool of Indian coaches and support staff.

Under the scheme, the government will fund Indian coaches to upscale their knowledge, get extensive training overseas, and attend international coaching seminars and conferences. “Indian coaches are required at every level from grassroots to domestic to high-performance levels to raise talented athletes. That will not happen until there are enough quality Indian coaches who are trained in modern scientific coaching methods. International certification is also an important criterion for coaches. The Sports Ministry is looking to start this as a pilot project like TOPS,” said an official aware of the development.

It has been seen that several Indian elite athletes still prefer to train with their initial coaches. “A basic coach cannot train athletes at the highest level. There has to be a gradation of coaches and through this programme it will be done,” the official added.

The federations have been asked to actively pursue pathways to develop coaches and make the most of current programmes in place like the Human Resource Development scheme through which financial assistance is provided for training and short-term courses for coaches and technical and support staff. Through this scheme, assistance is also given to hold coaching camps and workshops within the country and invite foreign experts, or even send them to foreign institutions.

During the meeting some federation officials raised concerns over the wide salary gap between Indian and foreign coaches. Former international shuttler Anup Sridhar has taken over as Singapore national team coach.

International sportspersons who have recently retired and are working with various government departments will be encouraged to take up coaching.