Indian Table Tennis team undergoes preparatory camp in Bengaluru ahead of Paris Olympics
The prominent players of the Indian Table Tennis (ITT) team underwent a preparatory camp from June 7-16 for the Paris Olympics. The camp, where Stupa Sports provided analytical support, focused on improving players' ability to compete against the world's best players through the help of performance analytics, rally analysis, trend & pattern analysis and AI insights.
The camp was held in association with the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and approved by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Players like Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakker, Manika, Manav Thakker, Manika Batra, Archana Kamath, and Sreeja Akula, alongside reserve players like G. Sathiyan and Ayhika Mukherjee, participated in the 10-day camp.
Here's what Massimo Costantini, head coach of the Indian Table Tennis Team said about the camp:
“Qualifying for Paris through the World Rankings is a significant milestone for India, placing us among the top 16 teams globally, a position we aim to sustain consistently."
“Metrics on ball contact, player movement, and shot timing have greatly enhanced our preparation and performance discussions," he added. "This analytical support is crucial in training camps, just like physiotherapy and fitness regimes."
The Table Tennis events in the Paris Olympics are slated to start on July 27 and the women's and men's gold events will be held on August 3 and 4, respectively.
Indian Table Tennis team for Paris Olympics
The senior selection committee of TTFI in May announced the six-member Indian squad for the Paris Olympics (three in each section). This came on the heels of the Indian men's and women's teams being among the top 16 teams to qualify for the global event.
Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar form the men's team, while the likes of Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath are the participants in the women's section. The reserve players on the squad are G. Sathiyan and Ayhika Mukherjee.
At the time of qualification, Sharath was the country's top-ranked men’s singles player at World No. 40, while Thakkar and Desai were at No. 62 and 63, respectively.
Batra climbed to World No. 24 following an impressive performance at Saudi Smash earlier this year, while Akula and Kamath were ranked 41st and 103rd, respectively.