BTTF to appoint Thai coach today

With three major international events -- the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain in October, the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia in November, and the South Asian Games in Pakistan in January -- lined up over the next few months, the Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation (BTTF) is set to appoint 25-year-old Thai coach Pattaratorn Passara as the national team's head coach on a two-month contractual basis. 

BTTF general secretary and former paddler Maksud Ahmed Sonnet had also mentioned signing a coach from Thailand, as the board failed to rope in a Chinese coach.

The length of the coach's contract may be extended if the board is satisfied with the results. 

Passara was ranked 314th in the ITTF world rankings in April 2022 and was part of Thailand's gold medal-winning men's team at the Southeast Asian Championships that same year. 

Alongside Passara's appointment, the BTTF is also looking to bring in an assistant coach or a dedicated practice partner from abroad. 

"We are also exploring the possibility of sending our trainees to long-term training programmes in international academies," Maksud was quoted as saying in a press release today.

At present, eight U-17 boys and girls are training in the national camp. Additionally, a preliminary squad of 32 players -- 16 men and 16 women -- are training with the senior team. The squad will be trimmed to 20 players through a selection process on August 8.

"Some of the most promising players will immediately start working under the Thai coach, while the rest will continue training with our local coaches," Maksud informed.