Olympics postponement gives TT hopefuls more preparation time but foreign coach unlikely

The postponement of Tokyo Olympics to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic has given India's table tennis squad more time to prepare and given the current scenario, the sport's governing body TTFI is looking to fill the head coach's position locally rather than hiring a foreign coach.

The head coach position has been lying vacant since the 2018 Asian Games due to multiple factors.

The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) had tried to rope in Canadian Dejan Papic last year but things did not work out as the latter decided to undergo a knee surgery when he was expected to join the squad.

"We can only look at an Indian coach now. There is no activity happening at the moment but when things get better, I doubt a foreign coach would like to come here considering the global situation (due to coronavirus)," TTFI secretary general M P Singh told PTI.

"Indian coaches anyway have been working with the men and women team over the past one year. Most likely, we would stick with them."