Indian athletics has been drawn into controversy after Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil accused Dronacharya awardee coach Naval Singh of mental harassment and verbal abuse, escalating concerns over athlete welfare and accountability within the sport.
The allegations emerged through a complaint submitted to the Sports Authority of India, in which Antil reportedly accused the senior coach of repeated mental harassment, abusive conduct and behaviour he said was disruptive to athletes. The complaint has been backed by Chopra and supported by other para-athletes, giving the issue wider significance within India’s athletics community.
According to the allegations, the dispute centers on repeated verbal abuse and conduct the athletes claim crossed professional boundaries. Antil has also raised concerns over how the complaint has been handled, questioning whether elite athletes are being adequately heard when raising serious grievances.
The controversy has also drawn attention because of the stature of those involved. Chopra and Antil are among India’s most decorated athletes, while Naval Singh is a nationally recognised coach and Dronacharya award recipient. The public nature of the complaint has therefore intensified scrutiny over internal systems for addressing disputes between athletes and coaches.
The Sports Authority of India has acknowledged receiving the complaint, while indicating the coach is not directly employed by the agency and is associated with the Athletics Federation of India as part of a national coaching setup. That distinction has also raised questions about jurisdiction and how such complaints are processed when multiple sports bodies are involved.
The matter has further fueled debate over athlete protection mechanisms, conflict resolution systems and whether India’s sporting ecosystem has adequate safeguards for addressing mental well-being and professional conduct concerns.
With the complaint now before authorities, attention is likely to remain on how the matter is examined and whether it leads to broader discussion about coaching standards and institutional accountability in elite Indian sport.
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