Uwe Hohn, the only coach and javelin thrower over 100 metres claimed that the country’s top sports organisations; Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) didn’t prepare their athletes at a good level for the Tokyo Olympics. Hohn is the
coach behind Indian star Neeraj Chopra’s rise.
58-year-old German coach said that “training for the Olympics was unplanned and diet not fit for elite athletes.” He also asserted to have been “blackmailed” for signing a contract he wasn’t happy with.
According to Uwe hohn, Neeraj Chopra advanced for training and competitions leading up to the Games to Europe was due to sports promoter, JSW sports, which supported the Commonwealth and Asian gold medalist.
Elaborating on conditions at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, where Chopra had been training before leaving for Europe, Hohn said: “The temperatures in Patiala are pretty extreme and we can only practice early in the morning or after 6 pm. It is difficult to keep the motivation up in these conditions. Also, recovery needs much longer time than when compared to the weather conditions in Europe now. I’m actually not sure how exactly it (Chopra going to Europe) happened but I guess it was with the help and connection of JSW (JSW Sports which manages Chopra). Definitely nothing from the SAI or AFI. They both definitely did not do enough to get our athletes to camps or competitions (overseas).”
Hohn is currently in Patiala with javelin thrower Shivpal Singh, who has qualified for the Olympics. He said that even Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) athletes — medal contenders handpicked by the Sports Ministry — struggle to get dietary supplements.
