Athletics Federation to rope in top official as new High Performance Director

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will soon announce of appointment of a new High Performance Director. AFI chief, Adille Sumariwala revealed that the federation will be roping in German Volker Herrmann for the post. Herrmann will become only the second person to take up this job, after India's first High Performance Director, Derek Boosey. The American was brought on board in  October 2015 ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, he resigned seven months into job, stating that he was "uncomfortable" in continuing further. Herrmann—who was reportedly highly recommended by the German Athletics Federation— has been brought in with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics fast approaching and the AFI boss Sumariwala also said that he will soon take charge.

“The government has cleared the appointment of High Performance Director and Herrmann will join soon. He is a highly qualified person and his tenure is for the Olympic cycle,” Sumariwala further elaborated while speaking to PTI. With diverse work experiences under his belt, Herrmann makes for an obvious choice. The German is a High Performance Sports Consultant. He last worked as the Technical Director of Singapore between April 2017 and December 2018. Herrmann is also an Level A sprint coach license—a top athletics license in Germany— holder. He is the former head coach of Bavarian Sprint Team in Munich. Moreover, he is a Sports Science diploma holder from DSHS, Cologne along with a degree in Sports Federation Manager. Herrmann, who is currently a lecturer at International Association of Athletics Federations in Monaco, has also served at the German Athletics Federation. He held the post of a Scientific Consultant for five years between 2012 and 2017.

“He became an assistant coach at the age of 17 and he is an authority in athletes’ fitness and a top-class sprint coach,” Sumariwala summed up his previous experiences to PTI. Talking about Herrmann's role, the federation chief said that the High Performance Director will mainly look after planning, technical aspects and the study of data. He will also keep a close eye on the athletes' performance and will deal with sports science. Sumariwala further disclosed that the German will also look after the coaches and he will also be responsible for taking care of the training schedule and facilities of the athletes alongside deciding the best meets for them to take part in.