Indian wrestlers get full panel of foreign coaches

New Delhi: With an eye on the upcoming Asian Games and the long-term build-up to the 2028 Olympics, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Tuesday appointed three foreign coaches and a High Performance Director to bolster the national camps, marking a return to overseas expertise after a gap of several years.

Georgia’s Emzarios Shako Bentinidis (freestyle), Russia’s Gogi Koguashvili (Greco-Roman) and Japan’s Kosei Akaishi (women’s wrestling) have been roped in as specialist coaches, while American Ian Butler has been named the High Performance Director (HPD).

They are expected to join the national camps from May 1 and will be paid a monthly salary of $7000.

The names were finalised after a meeting of candidates with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and Indian coaches. The meeting was conducted online on Tuesday.

The HPD will shuttle between the men's and women’s national camps in Lucknow and Delhi respectively, ensuring coordination between foreign experts and Indian coaches as WFI looks to create a more structured high-performance environment.

"SAI wanted us to step up preparations for the Asian Games. We discussed about the options and agreed that Shako Bentinidis is an excellent coach. He worked well with Bajrang.

"Under his guidance, Jitender and Sandeep Mann had also improved and Bajrang obviously had some great results while working with him. We did not have a better choice. We also pondered over a coach from Azerbaijan but realised that language could be a barrier," a WFI Present Sanjay Singh told PTI.

Bentinidis is no stranger to Indian wrestling, having previously worked closely with Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia and played a key role in sharpening the technical aspects of several Indian freestyle wrestlers, including Jitender and Sandeep Mann. His familiarity with the Indian system is expected to aid a smoother transition.

Koguashvili, a highly respected figure in Greco-Roman wrestling, is a former world champion and Olympic medallist who has also served as Russia's national coach. Known for his deep tactical understanding and discipline, he is expected to bring structure to a discipline where India has struggled for consistent results on the global stage.

Akaishi has experience in Japan's highly successful women’s wrestling programme. He was working with JSW in Bengaluru and had been recommended by the Japanese federation.

However, with no active wrestlers to train at JSW's Bellary centre, he had been sitting idle. With two months still left on his contract, JSW approached WFI to utilise his services for the national women's team. He is known for his technical emphasis and Japan’s hallmark mat discipline.

To ensure smooth communication, an interpreter will be provided by the Japanese embassy so that language does not become a hindrance in training sessions.

Butler, the newly-appointed HPD from the USA, has worked in high-performance systems and is expected to focus on planning, athlete monitoring and bridging the gap between coaching inputs and competition outcomes. His role will be crucial in aligning India’s wrestling programme with global best practices.

This is the first time since 2019-20 that India will have a full complement of foreign wrestling coaches, following a turbulent phase in which earlier appointments ended on a sour note.

Iranian Hossein Karimi, who was appointed as the men’s freestyle coach, was sacked in October 2019 -- just six months into his tenure-- over issues related to alleged “VIP culture” demands.

American coach Andrew Cook, who took charge of women's camp later, exited in 2020 after the national camp was shut due to the pandemic.

He was formally sacked in June 2025, with WFI citing non-participation in online sessions, a charge Cook denied, claiming his removal was linked to his stance on salary issues.

Similarly, Georgian Greco-Roman coach Temo Kasarashvili was relieved of his duties in 2021 after none of the Indian wrestlers in the discipline could qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Having learnt from those experiences, WFI is now banking on a more collaborative approach, with foreign and Indian coaches expected to work in tandem under the supervision of the HPD, as India looks to strengthen its medal prospects on the continental stage and beyond.

Asked how the WFI got convinced for such appointments since in the past it has maintained that Indian coaches are good enough, Sanjay said it was need of the hour.

"Several wrestlers feel that foreign coaches bring a lot to the table. They can help in bettering the technique. We are determined to help grow our wrestler," he said.