India must use sports science better: Experts

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 26

Indian athletes did well at the Asian Games, winning 19 medals, including seven gold and 10 silver. However, to take the next step, it’s vital for coaches to work with sports scientists.

That is not happening well in India, according to experts at the recent International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Level 1 coaching course, conducted by Indonesian coach Veeramani Chidambaram and Indian coach Parveer Singh, an IAAF certified lecturer.

“To achieve the required help from the sports scientist, both need to work in tandem. However, that link is missing in India,” Singh said. “Sports scientists are required to engage in the training process on the field, to work closely with the coaches to chalk out the training program from the grassroots level.”

“Ideally, a sports coach requires the help of a sports scientist at every level,” Veeramani said. “However, the intervention by sports scientists in the Indian sports ecosystem is only at the national and international level.”

During the two-week coaching course, an exhaustive program and sports specific skills — along with sports sciences, especially, biomechanics — were thoroughly covered.

The experts were of the view that there is no dearth of talent in India. However, it needs to be identified and nurtured, and sports scientists can play a crucial role in this process.

Veeramani said, “The coach needs to play an artistic role of transferring the sports science information —in a practical way — to the athletes.”

A total of 24 Indian coaches participated in the course and all of them qualified for Level 2 of IAAF coaching manual.