Just focus on winning medals: CoA tells paddlers ahead of WTT Contender

Gita Mittal, chairperson of the three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) appointed to run the affairs of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), has urged the players to focus on wining medals and vowed to extend them all support in their pursuit of achieving glory for the country.

After having cleared Team India and other paddlers for the WTT Contender in Oman beginning on February 27, the CoA had a virtual meeting with the players bound for Muscat on Thursday. Mittal, in the company of other members Chetan Mittal and S D Mudgil, interacted with the athletes during the 30-minute meeting, which was also attended by chief national coach Manjit Singh Dua.

The chairperson sought to know the players' plans for the upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games. "We are here to help you in whatever way possible. We don't want you hindered in any way and concentrate on the job at hand -- playing well to win medals for the country," Mittal said in a release.

The meeting was attended by top players such as Anthony Amalraj, G Sathiyan, Sanil Shetty, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Manika Batra, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Reeth Rishya, Diya Chitale, Akula Sreeja and Ayhika Mukherjee, besides the two coaches, Arup Basak and Subhajit Saha.

Mudgil and Chetan Mittal asked the players to put their best foot forward in realising their dreams. "As an athlete, I know the struggles players make to reach a certain level. But what is important is to maintain the level after reaching there," said Mudgil. The CoA has also lined up a meeting with the TTFI panel of coaches on Sunday.