Indian Table Tennis Teams Can be the Big Surprise at Paris Olympics, Asserts Head Coach Massimo Costantini

Mumbai: Insisting that even the table tennis powerhouses are keen to avoid playing India in the earlier rounds thanks to their exploits in the last 12 months, Indian team’s Italian coach Massimo Costantini exuded confidence that the players could spring a few surprises in both the team and individual events at the upcoming Paris Olympics, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.

India has qualified for both the men’s and women’s team events, both for the first time in the history of the Olympics, and Costantini has been roped in to guide the players on the biggest stage. This will be his third stint with the Indian national team, and the 66-year-old has witnessed the rise of Indian table tennis since he first came to India in 2009. Under Costantini, India clinched a record eight medals, including three gold, at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and two bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games.

“Qualifying for the team events is already an achievement because just 16 teams from across the world get to represent at the Olympics. It is difficult to say whether we will win a medal, but I can definitely say that we can come up with a big surprise. There have been enough signals in the past six months that even teams like China are worried about playing against India early in the competition,” Costantini said during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT).