24 Indian coaches to be sent for training in Cuba

New Delhi: Twenty four Indian coaches from five sports disciplines will be sent to Cuba by the Sports Ministry for a six-week high level advance training from January 17 to reduce dependence on foreign trainers.

Five coaches each from boxing, athletics and weightlifting, and four each from wrestling and judo will train at the Cuba University of the Sciences of Physical Culture and Sports from January 17 to February 26. Included among the 24 are women’s 400m, 400m hurdles and relay coach R S Sidhu whose wards Ashwini Akkunji, Manjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose won gold in Asian and Commonwealth Games, and boxing coach L Ibomcha Singh under whom Mary Kom and Suranjoy Singh had cut their teeth. “This is the first time athletics coaches are being sent for training in Cuba. We have gone for training at IAAF Centres in Hungary and Jakarta earlier but had never been to Cuba earlier,” Sidhu told reporters.The Coaches: Athletics: R S Sidhu, Jose Mathew, Suresh Kumar Saini, Sanjay Garnaik, Bharat Singh Boxing: Anup Singh, Mahavir Singh, Shiv Singh, L Ibomcha Singh, Jaivir Singh Wrestling: O P Dahiya, G Sangha, Hargobind Singh, Jagmal Singh, S S Balyan Weightlifting: Shyamal Shetty, Surinder Singh Baxi, G B Bariki, Sukhchen Singh Judo: Samsher Singh, Poonam Rana, Suchitra Chanu, Suman Gogi. PTI