Paddlers’ Paris trip confirmed, qualify for team events for 1st time

New Delhi, March 4

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The Indian men’s and women’s teams have scripted history by qualifying for the Olympics based on their world rankings.

After the conclusion of the World Team Championships in Busan last month, which served as the last qualifying event for the Paris Olympics, seven spots in the team events remained. The remaining spots have been awarded to sides based on their rankings.

While the women’s team is ranked No. 13, the men are No. 15 in the world. “Finally!!!! India qualifies for the team event at the Olympics! Something I have wanted for a long long time! This one is truly special, despite it being my fifth appearance at the Olympics!” veteran Sharath Kamal posted online.

This marks a significant milestone for Indian table tennis as it will be the first time the nation competes in the team events at the Olympics since its inception at the 2008 Games.

The men and women are expected to train across Asia and Europe. “The preparation will involve both training and competition and the players could have a camp in China and South Korea before shifting their base to Europe closer to the Olympics,” a TTFI official added. — PTI

India to get TT head coach after six years?

Mumbai: India’s elite table tennis players could finally have the services of a head coach after six years, with Italy’s Massimo Costantini likely to return to the country for his third stint with the national team. Costantini’s previous tenures with the Indian team came in 2009-2010 and 2016-2018. The 65-year-old’s second stint culminated with India’s historic performance at the 2018 Asian Games when the country won a table tennis medal for the very first time. A TTFI official said that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) is currently negotiating a four-year contract with Costantini. “The SAI could approve Costantini’s appointment as early as next week. The Olympics are not far away and the sooner he joins the team the better,” said the official.