Australian Coach Reveals How Khelo India Games Fight Teen Boredom and Build Careers

The Australian coach arrived in India in 2008 and has since made the country his home, immersing himself deeply in its culture. Currently, Clark serves as the Director of Tennis at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha and is mentoring players at the Khelo India University Games Rajasthan 2025.

"I think the Khelo India games are fantastic to have happened to this country. There is nothing more troublesome than a bored teenager. What these games have done all over the country is that they have given these teens opportunities to pick up sports and excel at them and eventually make a career. Sports also inculcate character,” Clark told SAI Media.

Clark, with over 30 years of coaching experience, also commended the Government of India for introducing the Khelo India initiative. “The current Central Government is quite keen on the idea of a fit India. These games are going to promote health and wellness among the youth. Furthermore, the infrastructure will get a boost. I am quite impressed with the facilities that I have seen in Jaipur so far,” he said.

After arriving in India, Clark began working at the Harvest Tennis Academy in Punjab. He has also been involved in coaching in Gujarat and Haryana. He was part of the Indian team when Vaishnavi Adkar from Pune secured a bronze medal in women’s singles at the 2025 Summer World University Games. This achievement marked India’s first-ever women’s tennis medal at the event. In fact, it was only the second medal India has won at this competition, the first being a silver earned by Nandan Bal in 1979.

Clark believes India has significant talent and potential in tennis. “I think India has a lot of talent. Though I believe talent identification could be better. Counselling kids on what sport to pick could also be better. For example, you need to be a certain height to be a good tennis player, 6 feet or thereabouts, so if you are, say, 5’4”, your chances of being a top-class tennis player are very low, so you should pick up another sport that suits you. So, it’s important players are advised in the right manner,” he said.

Clark emphasised the need for significantly increasing financial support for players transitioning from junior to senior levels. “I think there are a lot of opportunities for junior players in India. But there are not many at the senior level. So, they need to travel to other countries to get their opportunities, which can be a very expensive affair. Tennis is an expensive sport. This is something that needs to be addressed. This is one of the main reasons why Indian players, after making waves at the junior level, fail to keep up the momentum at the senior level,” he said.

- IANS