Indian shooting coaches feel they are not getting the importance due to them from the government and are open to the idea of shifting base to other countries “who value them”.
Mansher Singh, senior shotgun coach with the men’s team, said on Saturday that after the amazing performance of Indian shooters in top international competitions, a lot of officials and managers from various countries were approaching Indian coaches for guidance.
“Some say they want to send their shooters to India for training, while others want to hire Indian coaches. I personally have got offers from quite a few countries during the course of the Asian Games. It is time for the government to recognise our efforts; (compared to) the kind of money being paid to foreign coaches, I feel we are doing selfless service,” said Mansher.
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“I’m sure, former shooters like Suma Shirur, Jaspal Rana and many more would have got many offers, especially Suma who is a terrific rifle coach,” said Mansher, adding, “finally, the lure of money will come into play and many of us might well start coaching squads of other countries. But we don’t entertain those thoughts as our commitment is to the country.”
{{/usCountry}}“I’m sure, former shooters like Suma Shirur, Jaspal Rana and many more would have got many offers, especially Suma who is a terrific rifle coach,” said Mansher, adding, “finally, the lure of money will come into play and many of us might well start coaching squads of other countries. But we don’t entertain those thoughts as our commitment is to the country.”
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Kabaddi coach Shailaja Jain spent more than 30 years coaching children in Maharashtra, but had to leave the country in frustration after not being given the opportunity to lead the India team.
Shailaja plotted a coup of sorts when the Iranian women’s team she coached defeated India for the first time in the Asian Games kabaddi final.
Perhaps, it’s time for the powers that be to give what’s due to Indian shooting coaches.