The table tennis federation has threatened Manika Batra with legal action, and here’s why

Arun Kumar Banerjee, Secretary-General of the Table Tennis Federation of India, has stated that Manika Batra’s unwillingness to have national coach Soumyadeep Roy by her side during matches at the Tokyo Olympics will be discussed after the delegation returns to India. Banerjee stated that the executive committee will decide on the appropriate course of action because Manika’s call to Soumyadeep, Sutirtha Mukherjee’s personal coach, was unprofessional.“A personal coach is an incorrect statement. Sutirtha is a member of Soumyadeep’s academy, but he is also the national coach. Manika’s claim that her coach was not permitted to accompany her is incorrect. She was aware of the coaches’ access before leaving India. All of the players and coaches are aware of the level of access each has. Manika had applied for a personal coach, whom we had also recommended. When you know his access, coming to Tokyo and demanding that her coach be present instead of Soumyadeep is incorrect. It is incorrect to refer to him as Sutirtha’s personal coach because he attended national camp before coming to Tokyo. The criteria have been established, and I have instructed Soumyadeep to speak with manager MP Singh and report it when he is present. “I am vehemently opposed to this,” he told the news agency ANI.

When asked if Manika’s behavior was inappropriate, he replied, “I can’t say what’s on her mind.” She surprised me by bringing this up here after knowing the conditions. I’ll talk to the executive committee about it and decide what steps to take. We’ll have to bring this up when we return.”

Manika had previously requested that India’s chef-de-mission, BP Baishya, allow her personal coach, Sanmay Paranjape, access to the field of play (FOP). However, MP Singh stated that FOP access for Manika’s personal coach was denied and that the federation must consider what to do should such scenarios develop in the future.

“We are not against players, but she should inform the government of this. “Her personal coach received last-minute authorisation to fly to Tokyo, but FOP access was denied to him,” MP Singh explained.

“I think, with this occurrence in mind, we’ll have to develop a rule that if this happens again, who will take the call,” he continued.