Ministry Acts On Gopichand-Led Task Force's Suggestions; Set To Form NCAB For Coaches

Acting on the Pullela Gopichand-led Task Force's recommendations for coaching reforms, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said plans are afoot to create a National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) for "standardisation of coaching quality across the country." The Ministry-appointed nine-member Task Force had recommended a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for coaches and NCAB as the apex body for their education, accreditation and governance. The 43-page report was submitted to the Sports Ministry in January.

"Moving forward we would also integrate coaching with sports sciences. I believe sports science is not being optimally used as of now because there is a reluctance on part of coaches to implement new suggestions," Mandaviya said in an interaction with the media here.

The Gopichand-led panel had recommended that NCAB should comprise the Indian Olympic Association President, the Sports Secretary, a person of national eminence with "cross-ministerial influence", and an eminent academician with expertise in pedagogy and educational systems.

"The National Coach Accreditation Board will become the central nervous system of India's coaching ecosystem -- setting standards, ensuring accountability, and unifying government, federations, educational institutions, and the Olympic movement," the report had stated.

Currently, the coaching training in Olympic sports is primarily through diploma courses on offer at the Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports in Patiala.

The Task Force had described India's coaching ecosystem as fragmented, inconsistent, and heavily reliant on individual effort rather than institutional strength and advocated primacy to coaches' authority over athlete "discomfort" when "training becomes difficult".

The ministry said a "governance structure and roadmap" are being prepared for the implementation of NCAB besides the establishment of a National Coach Registry, an Accreditation Portal and a dedicated helpline for coaches.

The ministry hoped that once implemented, it would create a "transparent, accountable, and globally competitive coaching ecosystem." Expansion of the Coaching Pool. The Minister said he is aiming to fill up the over 700 vacant coaching slots in the Sports Authority of India by the end of this year.

"The induction process for assistant coaches through deputation has been initiated. Efforts are being made to engage Olympians as coaches so that their experience can benefit young athletes," the minister stated.

The ministry has stated that 250 vacancies across sports have so far been filled.

HATC in Shillong Elaborating on his announcement of a Rs 150 score High Altitude Training Centre in Shillong during a recent visit to Meghalaya, Mandaviya said established international standards at acclaimed centres like the one in St. Moritz, Switzerland and Colorado Springs, USA would be replicated in the North-eastern state.

"The Centre will support physiological adaptation, recovery optimisation, and acclimatisation for high-altitude competition. It's benefits will span athletics, swimming, rowing, cycling, boxing and wrestling, through improved endurance, faster recovery and sustained intensity," Mandaviya said.

The HATC in Shillong, which is being set up at an existing SAI centre, would be able to accommodate 450 athletes at a time.

The new facilities would include a dedicated Sports Science building, an athletes residential complex, an indoor heated swimming pool, and natural training trails.

Upgradation of the existing an eight-lane 400-metre athletic track, football field and campus infrastructure is also on the cards.

Shillong is 1,496m above sea level, which makes it a moderate-altitude zone. 'A temperature of 19 degrees celsius year-round permits outdoor training in all seasons; clean mountain air aids recovery," Mandaviya said.