After being accused of mental harassment and verbal abuse by Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil, Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh has been sacked by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), a report said. Sumit Antil was backed by Neeraj Chopra while filing the complaint with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), as the two-time Olympic medallist also felt Singh's conduct had been "detrimental to athletes", the report added.
Antil, a gold medallist at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics, alleged that Naval Singh crossed all professional boundaries, going to the extent of abusing family members of the athletes. The coach had a special dislike for him and Neeraj Chopra, he reportedly claimed.
"He mentally harassed us and abused our families—mine and Neeraj's. He would deliberately share recordings of his abusive rants with our managers so that they would reach us. He seems mentally unstable," Antil had told PTI.
Sumit Antil said that he decided to file an official complaint as things were escalating with the Los Angeles Games fast approaching. Apart from Chopra, he was reportedly backed by fellow para-javelin stars Navdeep Singh and Sandeep Chaudhary as well.
End of the road for Naval Singh
"On receiving complaints from Paralympic medallist Mr. Sumit Antil and several others regarding alleged misconduct, inappropriate behaviour, and harassment by coach Mr. Naval Singh, the matter was carefully reviewed. The complaints were duly examined, and the athletes were given a fair opportunity to present their concerns," the letter said.
"After reviewing the oral hearings and written complaints, and considering the seriousness of the concerns and the need to protect athletes' interests and maintain proper standards, the Committee found that the alleged conduct did not meet expected standards.
"Therefore, the Committee unanimously decided to terminate the services of coach Naval Singh with immediate effect and remove him from all Paralympic Committee activities," the letter read.
The Paralympic Committee of India sacked Naval Singh with immediate effect on Saturday, based on the complaint, a leading news channel said. The apex governing body dedicated to promoting and developing Para Sport in the country may also set up an enquiry against the Dronacharya awardee after further discussions, the report added.
Naval Singh , who was confered the Dronacharya Award in 2015, was coaching Sachin Yadav, another star javelin thrower that India has high hopes on.
