Bhubaneswar: SAI rowing chief coach PT Paulose, quashed rumours Tuesday that he is about to quit his position at the SAI Water Sports Complex in Jagatpur close to Cuttack. The news about his departure had just started doing the rounds before the start of the Sub-Junior National Rowing Championships which were conducted at the same venue last week.
Paulose, however, clarified that he was not going anywhere. “I don’t know how these rumours started. For now, I have no plans to go anywhere,” stated the Olympian. “Look, we don’t decide on our exit. It is SAI who has the authority. So it depends upon them when and where I go.”
However, a source who is associated with the daily chores at the Water Sports Complex said on condition of anonymity, that in the last couple of months Paulose has appeared disturbed. “I can’t say whether he will leave or not. But yes, something is bothering him,” the source informed.
When Paulose was asked whether he has faced difficulty training the rowers due to the lack of modern equipment, the coach played it down stating that it is not a ‘big issue’.
“As a coach, I always want my rowers to be better every day. So we need modern equipment and good training facilities. I have informed SAI authorities regarding this. I just hope that we get more support for the rowers from the Orissa government, which is lacking,” Paulose pointed out.