Neeraj Chopra, Sumit Antil accuse Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh of harassment

Paralympic champion Sumit Antil has accused Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh of mental harassment and verbal abuse in a formal complaint submitted to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), with the allegations receiving support from Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra.

The complaint has cast a shadow over India’s athletics ecosystem, with some of the country’s biggest medal-winning names alleging repeated misconduct and emotional distress caused by the veteran coach.

Antil, who won gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and Paris 2024 Paralympics, said Naval Singh repeatedly targeted both him and Neeraj Chopra, and crossed professional limits by abusing their families.

“He mentally harassed us and abused our, as in mine and Neeraj’s, families. He seems mentally unstable,” Antil was quoted as saying by PTI.

The F64 category star, widely regarded as one of India’s strongest medal hopes for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics, said the issue worsened over time, leaving him with no option but to approach the authorities formally.

“He would deliberately share recordings of his abusive rants with our managers, so that they reach us,” Antil alleged.

SAI confirmed that it has received the complaint and said the matter has been taken up with the relevant federation. However, officials clarified that Naval Singh is not an employee of SAI and is currently associated with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) through the National Coaching Camp.

“A complaint has been received from Sumit Antil, Paralympic Gold Medalist, alleging verbal abuse by Coach Mr. Naval Singh. The complaint has also been supported by other athletes, including Neeraj Chopra,” an SAI source said.

“The coach in question is not a SAI employee and is training another leading athlete as part of National Coaching Camp organised by AFI.”

Naval Singh, who received the Dronacharya Award in 2015, is currently coaching Sachin Yadav. Sachin finished fourth at last year’s World Championships, ahead of Neeraj Chopra, who placed eighth while managing an injury. The coach has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.

Antil said the complaint has also been endorsed by Neeraj Chopra, fellow para javelin thrower Navdeep Singh and Sandeep Chaudhary.

“It has been a week since we complained to DG SAI (Hari Ranjan Rao) and CEO TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme). TOPS CEO (N S Johal) wanted us to compromise in the first hearing,” Antil said.

“We ignored this matter for a long time but decided to complain after it became too much. I filed the complaint and Neeraj bhai, Navdeep Singh and Sandeep Chaudhary endorsed it.”

Expressing disappointment over the handling of the matter, Antil questioned whether athletes without stature or recognition would receive any hearing if decorated stars themselves were struggling to be acknowledged.

“Point is if athletes of our stature are not heard then what can others expect. The complaint has not even got an acknowledgement till now.”

He also raised concerns over the possible motive behind the alleged behaviour, suggesting competitive interests may be at play.

“I am unable to understand why this coach is doing what he is doing. Maybe he wants Sachin Yadav to beat Neeraj bhai because Sachin trains with him,” Antil alleged.