Sports Ministry Approves Appointment Of 320 Assistant Coaches As Part Of 'Medal Strategy' For Olympics And Asian Games

As part of its "medal strategy" for the Olympic and Asian Games, the Sports Ministry has given approval for the recruitment of 320 assistant coaches covering 25 disciplines across Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said the focus will be on disciplines like aquatics, cycling and tennis, in which Indian athletes haven't particularly done well but have "immense medal potential."

"It will cover the major disciplines at SAI centres. The selection process will be merit-based and transparent and will only include those who are certified or license holders in their respective disciplines," Mandaviya said in an interaction here.

"We are trying to give weightage to sports that will improve the overall sporting culture in the country. Sports like tennis, kayaking and canoeing are sometimes not able to attract as much attention but they have huge potential," he added.

Mandaviya said 50 per cent of the recruits would be women for the creation of a "safe sports environment" and promote "gender quality" as promised by the National Sports Governance Act.

"Assistant coaches are an important cog in the wheel as far as sports development is concerned. They nurture talent from grassroots to elite level," he said.

"This is just the phase one of this recruitment drive and another 320 would be recruited in the second phase once this initiative is completed," he added.