India table tennis head coach Costantini ready to revive old ties

Massimo Costantini returns as India's table tennis head coach, aiming to elevate the team to Asian superpower status.

Massimo Costantini’s return for a third stint as the India head coach augurs well for the national table tennis teams, which did not have a permanent head coach for five years, for its maiden stint in team events at the Olympic Games.

The veteran Italian, though, is setting his plans in place not just for Paris, but also to ensure India joins the three big Asian superpowers in the world of table tennis. 

“My goal is to make India next to China, Japan, Korea. My model is to learn from their system to manage the team in a very, very successful way,” Costantini told The Hindu from New Delhi on Thursday.

“I will discuss my ideas and plans internally with the TTFI and with the players.” 

Over the last few years, players’ personal coaches have had a bigger say in planning their itineraries. Costantini agreed that it will be a new scenario for him to strike the balance.

“Some of the players have personal coaches, this is a new concept in the panorama. So, it will be different from the previous stints,” Costantini said.

“It’s too early to say something and we have the Olympic Games around the corner where India will compete in team events for the very first time. It’s a huge achievement. So, let’s see.”