Citing toxic culture within team, rifle coach Joydeep Karmakar resigns

Vinayak Padmadeo

Advertisement

New Delhi, June 25

One more coach has quit, citing the toxic environment within the Indian shooting team. Joydeep Karmakar, the 50 metres rifle chief coach, has resigned after not hearing about his contract renewal from the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

It is true that I have resigned. I had not heard from the NRAI about the new contract and also I wanted to get away from the toxic environment within the team. Joydeep Karmakar

This is the third instance in a month that a coach of the team has resigned owing to contractual delays or disagreement with the new high performance director of the team, Dr Pierre Beauchamp. In May, India’s Australian trap coach Russell Mark and skeet coach Lauryn Mark, who was also the high performance manager of the team, had resigned from their posts over delay in contract renewal. In the letter, Russell

had called Beauchamp’s plans a “useless data collecting programme”.

Karmakar confirmed that he had sent in his resignation to NRAI secretary general K Sultan Singh on June 10.

“It is true that I have resigned. I had not heard from the NRAI about the new contract and also I wanted to get away from the toxic environment within the team,” Karmakar told The Tribune today.

Though the 2012 Olympian did not take Beauchamp’s name, he said there was a lot of backbiting and scheming in the present setup that has the potential to ruin the team’s prospects at next year’s Paris Olympics.

“During the World Championships, where I met Luciano Rossi (current ISSF president who was contesting for the post back then) for the first time and was just exchanging pleasantries. All that I was hearing about was lies and unpleasant gossips, and felt it was getting uncomfortablly toxic and thankless in return of my honest efforts. Hence, I decided it was the right time to leave,” he said.

Karmakar was also upset that the NRAI replaced his name with that of Manoj Kumar as the chief coach of the team for the Baku World Cup last month.

Interestingly, Karmakar was manhandled in front of the whole team by Beauchamp during the Cairo World Cup last year.

The NRAI secretary too confirmed the development. “Yes we have received his letter but we have not acted upon it,” Singh said.

Rana back in Manu’s corner

While some coaches are making a beeline for the exit gates, a familiar face, Jaspal Rana, has returned to the ranges. Importantly, he is back helping Manu Bhaker.

The duo had a public falling-out before the Tokyo Olympics when Rana insisted that Chinki Yadav, another one of his trainees, be selected for the 25m pistol event instead of Manu. Manu took up the matter with the then NRAI president Raninder Singh, and pistol coach Ronak Pandit was tasked to train her till the Olympics. However, Rana is back in her corner, which has coincided with a dip in her form ahead of the trials to select the Asian Games team. “I was never away. I am always available to help shooters,” Rana said.

When asked who brought the two together again, he retorted, “It does not matter who calls first, the idea here is to help. She is my protege. How can I turn my back on her?”