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Table Tennis
Table Tennis coach Massimo Costantini resigns
Two consecutively brilliant performances by the Indian Table Tennis contingent at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games had few arguing that the sport was indeed on the rise in India. However, in a development that may as well put a rude halt to that progress, the Chief National Coach Massimo Costantini has resigned citing personal reasons. It has since been reported that he has left the country for his hometown. According to The Times of India, the Italian left his job to take care of his ailing wife who has not been keeping very well since a car accident in 2017 in Italy. The erstwhile coach took an early morning flight from India on the 24th of this month to his hometown of Senigallia.
Also read: Is India on the cusp of a Table Tennis revolution?
"His wife has not fully recovered from the accident. He was hoping for his wife's health to improve but now he has decided to quit," Dhanraj Chaudhary, a director in the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) was quoted as saying. Furthermore, TOI reported that Costantini had already been granted a one-year contract with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as a High-Performance Director. He is expected to start mid-November. His commitment and association with the Indian team were set to end on the 30th of September. His decision to leave early had been relayed to the TTFI officials even before the team left for the Asiad in Indonesia. However, players were informed only after they returned. "Both the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and TTFI were very keen on extending his contract until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics," a TTFI official was quoted as saying. A look at Indian TT's medal haul in the significant competitions so far is enough to explain the enormous influence that Costantini has had on the players and the sport. India finished with ten medals at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast- its best-ever haul in the tournament. Additionally, India also bagged a table tennis medal at the Asian Games for the first time in history as the competition ended with India winning two Bronze medals.
Also read: Is India on the cusp of a Table Tennis revolution?
"His wife has not fully recovered from the accident. He was hoping for his wife's health to improve but now he has decided to quit," Dhanraj Chaudhary, a director in the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) was quoted as saying. Furthermore, TOI reported that Costantini had already been granted a one-year contract with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as a High-Performance Director. He is expected to start mid-November. His commitment and association with the Indian team were set to end on the 30th of September. His decision to leave early had been relayed to the TTFI officials even before the team left for the Asiad in Indonesia. However, players were informed only after they returned. "Both the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and TTFI were very keen on extending his contract until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics," a TTFI official was quoted as saying. A look at Indian TT's medal haul in the significant competitions so far is enough to explain the enormous influence that Costantini has had on the players and the sport. India finished with ten medals at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast- its best-ever haul in the tournament. Additionally, India also bagged a table tennis medal at the Asian Games for the first time in history as the competition ended with India winning two Bronze medals.
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