Signals, Powered By EquityPandit
The Sports Ministry on Saturday announced the doing away with of the Rs 2 lakh cap on the salary given to Indian coaches training elite athletes in a bid to encourage them to produce better results and attract former players to become high performance trainers.
The announcement came after the ministry’s decision on Thursday to extend the contracts of all foreign coaches till September 30 next year and to make all future hiring both Indian and foreign for a four-year cycle in sync with the Olympics to ensure continuity.
‘Several Indian coaches are showing very good results and need to be rewarded for their hard work. The government is also keen to attract the best coaching talent from across the country to train elite athletes and we do not want the cap on compensation to be a deterrent for good coaches to join,’ Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a release.
‘The increased remuneration and longer contract period is also to attract ex-elite athletes into the high performance sporting ecosystem, and to use their experience and skill to train athletes bound for major international competitions, including the Olympics.’
Eminent coaches already working in various Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) would also be allowed to join on deputation and be eligible for the 4-year contract as well as the higher salary structure.
The remuneration will be decided on the basis of the ex-elite athlete’s performance as an athlete as well as his or her success as a coach.
‘All new coaches and existing coaches who are given the new contract will be imparting training at National Camps and SAI’s National Center of Excellence (NCOEs), and will be selected jointly by the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Federations,’ a ministry release said.
