TOI Exclusive: Personal coaches push gains momentum in equestrian, selectors’ dual roles raise questions

NEW DELHI: With the Asian Games barely weeks away, a curious battle over coaches is brewing in Indian equestrian — five riders have sought accreditation for their foreign personal coaches, even as officials involved in selecting the team are themselves headed to Japan in coaching and team-management roles.The demand has put the spotlight on how the equestrian contingent’s coaching support was finalised, particularly because the foreign coaches being sought by the riders have trained them through the international season and are now being preferred over some of the Indian coaches cleared by the sports authorities.TOI has learnt that at least five of the seven dressage and eventing riders have sought to take their personal coaches to the Games. The five are Shruti Vora (athlete) — Rebecca Moody (British, coach); Ashish Limaye — Carola Bierlein (German); Gaurav Pundir — Brian Barnett (Dutch); Arjan Nagra — Felix Etzel (German); and Jai Sud — Antonie de Ridder (Dutch).All five have approached the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)-run ad-hoc committee for governance of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), seeking accreditation for their personal coaches.The issue gets more intriguing when viewed alongside the composition of the selection committees. Documents accessed by TOI show Col Sandeep Dewan, Jai Rathore (who also goes by the name Mrityunjay Sinh Rathore and Jay Rathore) and Kapil Modi were on the dressage selection committee, while Col Amit Sinsinwar and Imitiaz Anees were on the three-day eventing selection committee. Dewan and Imitiaz were also part of the technical committee.Several of these officials are now travelling with the contingent. The sanctioned coaching/support staff included Anees, Rathore and Sinsinwar as coaches, with Dewan as team leader.Sources said the overlap between those involved in selecting the Asian Games team and those accompanying it has raised questions about a potential conflict of interest, though there is no suggestion of wrongdoing against any individual.The issue is particularly pointed in Shruti’s case. Sources said the dressage rider has written to the authorities stating that Rathore has not coached her and that she has been trained by Moody. She has sought Moody’s accreditation instead.There is also the Sinsinwar episode. India’s show jumping squad was dropped after failing to meet the selection criteria, leaving the country to compete only in dressage and three-day eventing. Yet Sinsinwar, nominated as show jumping coach, was initially included in the sanctioned contingent.The anomaly was subsequently corrected. In a mail accessed by TOI, the IOA told EFI’s ad-hoc committee that Sinsinwar was “not to be deputed to Japan” as the show jumping team had not been approved, and directed that his accreditation card be returned.The personal-coach issue, however, remains alive.In the same communication, the IOA said it was “taking the necessary steps” with the OCA and AINAGOC regarding the five personal coaches and getting them accreditation.Interestingly, EFI’s ad-hoc committee had separately recommended just two — Moody and Bierlein — saying they could also coach other members of the team.The questions now are hard to ignore: why were coaches sought by riders not part of the original support structure, why are officials involved in selection also travelling with the team, and was the initial coaching list the result of oversight — or simply the federation’s recommendation being accepted without enough scrutiny?Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.