Asian Games 2026: Soumyadeep Roy returns to Indian table tennis setup 5 years after Tokyo Olympics controversy

Former India international turned coach, Soumyadeep Roy, is back with the national table tennis squad for a multi-sport event, albeit in a personal coach's capacity, five years after being embroiled in a major controversy at the Tokyo Olympics.

Roy would be travelling to the upcoming Asian Games in Japan as a personal coach to Payas Jain, Suthirtha Mukherji and Syndrela Das. His name was approved by the Sports Ministry in the support staff list on Wednesday.

He is unlikely to get field of play access as he is not part of the dedicated support staff led by Italian Massimo Costantini.

Roy, who was the national coach in the Tokyo Olympics, found himself in the eye of a storm after star player Manika Batra refused to be coached by him during her matches at the Summer Games.

Manika had alleged that Roy asked her to fix a match in the lead up to the Olympics so that the latter's protege could qualify for the mega event. That controversy led to the suspension of TTFI in 2022.

The federation, in fact, was suspended again last month due to governance issues.

Roy, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, said he would try to help the Indian contingent and not just his three players in anyway he can. He also doesn't see his presence in the Asian Games contingent as comeback of sorts into the national fold following the Tokyo controversy.

"Three of my players are there and I would be able to guide them there. I have been to four Asian Games as a player and multiple times to Commonwealth Games.

"Of late I have been travelling with Syndrela, Suthirtha and Payas for WTT events and considering the Olympics in 2028, I would be doing more of that going forward.

"I just wanted to be there for them in Japan. I am not thinking on those lines at all," said Roy when asked about the incident in Tokyo and the sequence of events that led to the suspension of the national body.

Roy also said he would be more than happy to share his knowledge with the other players in the squad.

"I am an Indian national. There is a national coach Massimo. My aim is to contribute anyway I can for India. That should be the motto for anyone. We should rise above individual goals.

"In Sweden Smash recently, Massimo was not there for the first four days, I was happy to chip in as a guide for the players who were competing. He thanked me later. We are here to serve the nation anyway we can," said Roy.

Suthirtha and Ayhika Mukherji, both coached by Roy, had won a famous women's doubles medal in the previous edition in Hangzhou. In Jakarta 2018, a glass ceiling was broken when India won two bronze medals -- in men's team and mixed doubles.

"We have a good chance of winning a medal this time. We got a nice combination of youth and experience. Medals can come in women's team, men's team, mixed doubles and doubles.

"We have a chance in all these. Now our players can beat anyone on a given day," said the longtime teammate to Sharath Kamal who has also retired and and will be in Japan as deputy Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)