Amidst Stand-Off With China, SAI Accepts TTFI's Request To Extend Chinese Coach's Contract With TT Team Till 2021 Tokyo Olympics

Sports Authority of India (SAI) and sports ministry have accepted Table Tennis Federation of India's request to extend Chinese coach Yin Wei's tenure with the national team till next year's Tokyo Olympics.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sharath Achanta of India compete against Yew En Koen Pang and Shao Feng Ethan Po of Singapore during the MenÕs Table Tennis Doubles Semifinal in Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games on April 13, 2018 on the Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

India might be stepping the ante against China at the political and economic front amidst the stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh but certainly the government isn't too keen to exert the same pressure on its Asian neighbour on the sporting front. Sports Authority of India (SAI) and sports ministry have accepted Table Tennis Federation of India's request to extend Chinese coach Yin Wei's tenure with the national team till next year's Tokyo Olympics. The Chinese coach Wei will be employed at a monthly salary of Rs 2.5 lakhs plus other incentives and family accommodation and is currently based out of Kolkata facility of SAI. This is the first major 'appointment' after the recent boycott of Chinese apps, goods and FDI rules by government offices. Wei's contract extension comes as the Indian TT players, who have an outside shot at the Olympic medal in the team events, have struggled to get a foreign coach for the last year and with time running out, they requested the government to acept Wei's appointment. Meanwhile, the BCCI or the IOA too didn't take the boycott tirade any seriously and kept their Chinese endorsements and sponsorship intact.