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

Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil has made serious allegations of mental harassment and verbal abuse against Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh, in a formal complaint filed with the Sports Authority of India. The complaint has also been supported by Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra along with other athletes from the national camp.

Antil alleged that the coach mentally harassed athletes and used abusive language against them and their families. He further claimed that Naval Singh deliberately circulated recordings of abusive remarks through team managers to reach the athletes. Antil described the coach’s behaviour as disturbing and said it was impacting the mental peace of athletes training under him.

According to Antil, the complaint has been submitted to senior officials of the Sports Authority of India, including those managing the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. He stated that Neeraj Chopra, along with para-javelin throwers Navdeep Singh and Sandeep Chaudhary, have endorsed the complaint after prolonged internal discussions within the training setup.

Antil also raised concerns about possible bias within the coaching environment, alleging that the coach may be favouring another athlete he trains, Sachin Yadav, in competition scenarios. He said the issue had been ignored for a long time but athletes were compelled to act after the situation became intolerable. He further expressed disappointment that the complaint had not yet received formal acknowledgement.

The Sports Authority of India has confirmed receipt of the complaint and stated that Naval Singh is not directly employed by SAI but is associated with the Athletics Federation of India as part of the national coaching camp structure. The matter is now under review following the formal allegations made by multiple elite athletes.