Massimo Costantini set to return as head coach for Indian table tennis team ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
The Team India squad is most likely to have the services of a head coach Massimo Costantini after six years. It’s important to note that this will be the third stint for the 65-year-old with the national team.
This big development came on the same day when Team India was assured of its Olympic qualification in team events (both men and women) for the first time.
"The SAI could approve Max's appointment as early as next week. The Olympics are not far away and the sooner he joins the team the better. He is liked by all the players and that should work in his favour," a TTFI official told PTI.
Team India players, men and women, who secured their spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics based on their world rankings after pre-quarterfinal appearances in the World Championships in February 2024, are likely to train in Asia and Europe ahead of the Olympics.
"The preparation will involve both training and competition and the players could have a camp in China and Korea before shifting their base to Europe closer to the Olympics," the official added.
Massimo Costantini earlier coached India twice
According to reports in PTI, the Italian is all set to have his longest tenure with the Indian national team as the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) is currently negotiating a four-year contract with him.
His previous tenures with the Indian side were in 2009-10 and 2016-18. He ended his second stint with the Indian team after their historic performance at the Asian Games in 2018, where the Indian team clinched a table tennis medal for the first time.
The TTFI had put forward the names of three additional foreign coaches to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). However, Costantini emerged as the prime candidate considering his good coordination with the players and his immense knowledge of how the sport is run in the country.
Indian coaches Arup Basak, Sourav Chakraborty, and Mamta Prabhu have been accompanying the players to major events including the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and World Team Championships 2024 in the absence of the head coach.