New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS): To support Indian elite athletes' preparations for the Paris Olympic Games, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has approved the appointment of six foreign coaches for athletics until 2024.

The step will strengthen the preparations for Paris 2024 and help in the long-term development of track and field athletes in India, SAI said in a tweet on Monday.

The six coaches that have been appointed include Jozef Lisowski of Poland who will be for sprints disciplines 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay while Scott Simmons of the United States will train the middle and long-distance runners. Tatlana Sibileva of the United States will nurture the race walk athletes while Steffen Reumann of Germany will take care of rotational throws, discus and shot put. Kimmo Kinnunen of Finland will train the javelin throw athletes while Juan Gualberto Napoles Cardenas of Cuba will be in charge of the horizontal jumps, the SAI tweet said.

The six coaches have been appointed at a total cost of around $42,000 per month.

India had its most successful Olympic Games ever in Tokyo winning seven medals including a historic gold medal by javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic medal.