Milkha Singh with former basketball player Pradip Srivastava during the inauguration of the Tata Athletics Academy in Jamshedpur on Sunday. (PTI)

Jamshedpur: Milkha Singh emphasised the need to hire foreign coaches, but only on a contract basis.

“They should be hired for three to four years… Only if they produce results within that period, they will stay, otherwise bring someone else,” the Flying Sikh said at the inauguration function of the Tata Athletics Academy (TAA) on Sunday evening.

Declining a comment on Anju’s medal prospects at the Olympics, Milkha said: “All I’d say is that she should have had more European exposure before the Athens Games.”

Milkha urged Tata Steel managing director B. Muthuraman to ensure that the trainees graduating from the academy be provided job-security.

The Amateur Athletics Federation of India (AAFI), meanwhile, has cleared the decks for a Level III coaches’ certificate course under foreign coaches.

“We will be inviting good foreign coaches to impart training to our coaches who can produce world-beaters,” AAFI secretary Lalit Bhanot said at the function.

According to Bhanot, six to seven Indians will be under one foreign coach when the course is organised. He couldn’t give a specific date but did say it will be arranged “very soon.”

The new academy in the Steel City, he said, will open the door for many talented youngsters to get good guidance. “Our job will be to identify boys and girls with potential and mould them into world-beaters like Anju Bobby George,” Bhanot added.

Dr. S. Nicolai, head coach of the academy in Belarus, has been appointed chief coach of the TAA. He will be assisted by Indian duo Bagicha Singh and Satnam Singh.

Milkha, arguably India’s best-ever athlete, extended his helping hand to TAA. “I wish to visit here once or twice a year to guide the coaches,” said the ‘Flying Sikh’.

Milkha, who has 88 international appearances to his credit, reminded the cadets that there is no substitute for hard work.

The first batch of 13 trainees at the TAA includes four from Jharkhand and three from UP.

THE FIRST BATCH AT TAA

Lalita Deogam, Jyoti Mundri, Ashwini A. C., Uma Maheshwari, Emil Tirkey, Anand Kujur, Munna Singh, Vashisht Kumar Rai, Daljit Singh, Ajay Kumar Yadav, Brajesh Kumar Singh, P. Trinath and Sinimole Paulose.