Pune: Foreign coaches can never yield results for Indian sports, feels former hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay, who said the key to success lies in empowering and nurturing local trainers.
Pillay, who was here to select promising athletes for testing and training at MEDSPORT HSPRI -- India's first privately-owned Sports Medicine Research Institute --, said the trainers in India are as good as any of their foreign counterparts.
"Our country does not understand the value of local trainers. We keep running after foreigners. Hockey India feels foreign coaches can give results. We are wasting money on foreigners, almost Rs 6 lakh. Foreigners cannot give results, it is 110 per cent sure and I say this with experience of over 25 years," Pillay said.
"To add to this the foreigners have the audacity to criticise India when they are asked to leave. We don't need coach who dictates, we need somebody who understands the players," he explained.
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Padma Shri awardee selected 10 state and national medallists of Maharashtra, who would be tested and trained at MEDSPORT HSPRI. Sportspersons from swimming, boxing, shooting, wrestling, weightlifting and cycling have been picked for the programme.
"It is good to see an institute that helps a common man identify his athletic potential. I did not have endurance in my time but not everyone could realise that. These details are important and through MEDSPORT, an athlete can get a fair idea of his potential," he said.
Pillay said he would himself seek help and assistance from MEDSPORT HSPRI for the hockey players and teams that he is presently training.
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