After long wait, Indian table tennis team gets new coach

The uncertainty that was looming large over the joining of the national table tennis team's new head coach ended on Tuesday with Canadian Dejan Papic accepting a one-year contract offered by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The Indian paddlers haven't had a head coach since the Jakarta Asian Games 2018, leading to a loss of crucial time ahead of the qualification events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) had short-listed Papic back in March, but it was only a couple of weeks ago that SAI sent him the contract. "He was travelling, and probably that is why the delay in signing the contract. But now he has, and he should be in India early next month," TTFI secretary MP Singh told PTI. Leading players like Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan have already expressed their frustration over the delay in the coach's appointment. Papic will be paid $7,000 per month, and his contract will be up for renewal after the Olympics.