After unannounced return, Georgian coach startles SAI with late night Sonepat visit

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 8

Georgian coach Temo Kasarashvili, who is employed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to coach the Greco-Roman team, has become a bit of a headache for the sports authorities.

Kasarashvili returned to India unannounced, despite being told to stay in Georgia. His stay in India has only problems for the authorities and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

SAI has been working overtime to keep him safe. Besides being his employer, SAI is concerned as Kasarashvili is a foreign national and the authorities are worried about keeping him and his Indian contacts safe in the times of Covid.

Kasarashvili was first assigned to stay at the Jagjeet Wrestling Academy in Jalandhar, which is a Khelo India accredited centre. But when SAI officials were told that there are no wrestlers there, he was cleared to stay in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Since there are no national camps planned in the near future, his services will be used in SAI’s e-pathshala programmes.

Kasarashvili came to India along with Bajrang Punia’s personal coach Shako Bentinidis on July 30 without getting the approval of either SAI or WFI. After serving the quarantine period, Kasarashvili is staying with Bentinidis in Bajrang Punia’s Sonepat flat.

Late night visit

The unscheduled return of Kasarashvili has been causing a lot of headaches for the authorities.

The Georgian coach entered the SAI Sonepat complex on Thursday night to clean out his room without getting approval or consent from the SAI authorities, including from the regional director of the centre.

“He should have at least spoken to us or those in the office of regional director. I am sure no one would have objected. But he has been doing things on his own without informing us,” WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar said.

“He came here unannounced too. He should have told either the federation or SAI. We are in the middle of a pandemic and he is old… If he gets ill, who do you think will be blamed? WFI or SAI, right? And despite all this, we are trying to help him,” Tomar added.