This provocative debate on whether India has "improved" or not.... I'd like to think of any of this as a process. Now, you could have one sharp "peak" and then just a constant flatline; or you could have a groundswell, where there are several smaller peaks but a noticable, gradual rising of the overall level. India had their sharp peaks in the past: Padukone, Gopichand. At a regional level, they had Natekar and Khanna, and the sad story of Modi. They even had Maureen Mathais, Ami Ghia and Aparna Popat. Then along came Saina, and everything else got eclipsed. It can only be crude and callous to dismiss what this girl has achieved ever since her junior badminton days. She may not be everyone's favourite person, but hey! no person who becomes a public figure and achieves something notable on the world stage, ever is. Beyond Saina, was for a brief moment here and there, Ashwini/Jwala, Kashyap, and Sindhu. But the difference now is, that the base level has advanced several steps, and the next bunch of youngsters have closed the distance more than has ever been done before. They pose serious questions and challenges to their opponents, regardless of ranking or flag. It is also a clear indication of a change in attitude, and the sea change in age-old social/cultural values from passivity and tolerance to being more pro-actively and aggressively competent. This can be only a good thing for Indian badminton. And for badminton in general.
If improvements are measured by winning titles, then MAS must be on the right track with the lone ranger, year in and year out only with occasional hiccups here and there.
this is suitable for your compatriot, scorpion1. If i'm not wrong, someone from singapore says a bit negative about india, and he says what singapore can do or something like this. clear ?
please read again your statement in bold. all 3 SS titles in 2010 won by 1 player only. But what happened from 2011 - 2013 ? still the same, right ? Where is the difference ?
as long as the lone ranger still "produce" more gold than previous year, yeah that is called improvement. here is my question for you : in 2011, no SS or SSP title for india. In 2012, india won even 2 SSP titles. So what you will say : improvement or not ?
The difference that the other players are playing better, reaching latter stages of tournaments and qualifying for more tournaments than before. And seriously, stop with that 'logic' of yours that the only possible achievement in Badminton is to win SS titles (or WC/OG). Going by that, there's only 13-14 possible achievements per discipline every year, and with the #1s and #2s dominating their respective disciplines and taking, say, 9 titles, there's very little left for the rest of the world. In other words, only a couple Nations could 'achieve' anything, and we all know that's pretty far from the truth. Or at least the reasonable people on here do. As I said, I'm no fan of Indian badminton, so don't try to dismiss anything I say as fanboy-ism. However I do respect their improvement, which is pretty evident to anyone willing to open their eyes. BTW, going by your logic China is falling rapidly - in the last 12 months they won less titles in MD than they did in the year before that. Are they a weak MD nation because of that? Hell no.
maybe you missed it. Not only China and Korea, but several countries can win SS or SSP titles. 6 other countries also can win it. So, in total, 8 countries can win SS or SSP titles in 2011, and the total of 11 countries in 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_BWF_Super_Series
One of the stupidest comments so far. LCW winning more or less titles reflects little, if at all, on Malaysian Badminton in general. Malaysia improving would be more players competing for titles/reaching late tournament stages, not their one player winning a title more or two. Same logic applies to India - Saina is only one player. A drop in her form doesn't mean the whole country suddenly got worse, it means just that - her form dropped. Your 'titles only' logic is so immature and flawed that it's hard to describe. Seeing this thread there seems to be a general consensus that is independent of nationality and/or sympathies - everyone agrees on India's improvement and that your arguments are inaccurate or just plain wrong. This'll be my last post on this sorry debate as it isn't going anywhere.
13 possible achievements times 5, so we have 65 SS / SSP / SS Finals titles available ever year. the total of 11 countries can win SS titles in 2012. Not only 2 countries. And how about post #570 ? from 2011 to 2012, india was improved or not ?
it seems that you really like to say like this to other, right ? are you genius ? just answer my question. From 2011 to 2012, China is improving or not ? India is improving or not ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_BWF_Super_Series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_BWF_Super_Series and what other india players can do ? If they also can't win the title, so what is to say ? This year, even all india players failed to qualify to final in SS or SSP or even in Grand Prix, not to say to win the title, so what does it mean ?
See post #573 for some of the answers. We are talking improvements by nation in general for the last 2-3 years, not individuals winning titles. Thailand is another country that has improved.
Objective criteria for improvement is good. Improvement can be defined in different ways - using only one definition and rigidly one definition is myopic and obtuse. One definition is number of titles - India is lacking Another is numbers entering semifinals - India is okay-ish Another is number of eligible entries to tournaments - a definite improvement. Men's doubles needs a lot of work though. I remember watching an Indian men's doubles pair in last years HK Open - not the top ranked pair. Some technique deficiencies are apparent that limits their upward potential.
[h=1]Now, badminton world looks at Indian market[/h] http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other...rld-looks-at-indian-market/article4670290.ece EXCERPTS: After cricket, hockey and football, the badminton world is looking at India as a preferred hub. The just-concluded third edition of the India Open Super Series in New Delhi has created a market buzz for more international events. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is obviously pleased with the way the $200,000 event was organised at the Siri Fort Sports Complex as it did not waste time in recognising the Indian leg on a par with other major Super Series. The event, originally allotted for three years in 2011, got an extension till 2017 last year. The immediate offshoot of the successful conduct of the Tier-2 event at the Siri Fort world class infrastructure is the allotment of the prestigious Tier-1 2014 Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals to India. The Thomas, Uber, and Sudirman Cups, Olympics, and World Championships are all Tier-1 events while the Super Series tournaments are in tier-2. Tier-3 tournaments are Grands Prix and finally come the Level-4 International Challenge Series. Thanks to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, badminton got a truly high-class infrastructure, and now the BWF sees a huge potential for marketing the game in India. “The infrastructure and the stadia are excellent and the players are very happy with the arrangements. We see a huge potential here and that’s why India Open was preferred over Swiss Open which was relegated to Grand Prix Gold,” BWF deputy president Paisan Rangsikitpho told IANS. “India has one of the best venues. The Siri Fort Sports Complex can accommodate five playing courts while there are many more for practice and that helps in running through the initial rounds as scheduled without undue delay,” he added. BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund is impressed with the steady improvement in the conduct of India Open with each passing year and importantly the growth of the sport in India. “The infrastructure is good here. I have been seeing the India Open Super Series over the years and I have to say that things are improving with each passing year,” Mr. Lund said. What baffles the organisers is that despite such good facilities, some of the world’s top players skip the India Open every year. This time, women’s singles defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui of China gave it a miss. “Actually, India Open gets isolated in the calendar and that does not enthuse many players to come here. All big tournaments are generally lined up in a cluster and it becomes logistically easy for players to play back-to-back events,” BWF Super Series Marketing Manager Selvam Supramaniam of Malaysia said. How did he rate the Super Series events? “Well every Super Series has its own pluses and minuses. For instance, Indonesia Open has a huge fan following because it has a badminton culture and it produced some of the game’s greats like Taufik Hidayat. At the All-England, the tradition as well as the presentation is what makes it special. In Malaysia, crowds come in to see World No.1 Lee Chong Wei, who has a huge following back home. “In India it is the media coverage and Saina Nehwal, who bring crowds to the stadium. In any case, the players must have a pleasant experience to come back to an event,” Mr. Supramaniam added.
[h=2]Badminton Association of India on a high![/h] [h=3]Badminton Association of India president Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta promises better prize money and more domestic and international tournaments in India in future to ensure the sport and its players are aplty rewarded[/h] http://www.mid-day.com/sports/2013/...nt-dr-akhilesh-das-gupta-interview-sports.htm Indian badminton has been growing from strength to strength in recent times. Apart from World No 2 Saina Nehwal, 17-year-old PVV Sindhu is poised to enter Top 10 within the year. among the men, P Kashyap has cracked into the Top 10 already and is placed at No 6 at the moment, ahead of four other Indian male shuttlers in the Top 50. Saurabh Verma, Prannoy, Sai Praneet, Anand Pawar, Ajay Jairam, etc are all making waves at the world level. Surely there must be a number of things that the badminton Association of India (BAI) is doing right. And credit for this must go to BAI president Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta In an interview with MiD DAY, Dr Gupta speaks about future initiatives the association plans to take to ensure Indian badminton is on top of the world. Interview Excerpts: Given that Indian badminton has been doing really well globally recently, what is the main thrust of the BAI in the next few months? Our priorities are to maintain this momentum of development and improve the standard of our game with the aim of winning more medals in major events coming up early next year namely, the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Sudirman Cup, etc. The thrust will be to build a strong second string of players, who will be on par with the top core group of shuttlers. My emphasis is to make a strong bench strength, which can step into the shoes of the established players at a moment’s notice. We have envisaged a proactive development plan which will create a strong junior and sub-junior base, so that our next generation of players rub shoulders with the very best in the world. BAI has opted to host a big event like the Thomas/Uber cup in New Delhi next year. How confident are you of a good performance from our teams? I am very sure that we will be one of the top teams in both the Thomas as well as Uber Cups here next year. Our coaching programme under chief coach Pullela Gopichand is doing extremely well. Both Saina and Sindhu will be leading our challenge in the Uber cup with Ashwini Ponappa and Jwala Gutta providing back-up in the women’s doubles. I am sure we will have three or four more good singles players among the ladies. Saina and Sindhu have already defeated some of the top players in the world. Home advantage will give them a major boost. In the Thomas Cup too, with P Kashyap doing so well and Jairam, Saurabh, Anand and others also beating better players, we are well placed. We have almost a year to go and that’s good enough to ensure that our Thomas Cup team gets into top gear. We have not been doing too well in the doubles aspect? What steps will BAI take to ensure we have some top-class pairs for next year’s Thomas/Uber cups, CWG and Asian Games? A special programme will be launched soon to improve the standards of our doubles players at the sub-junior and junior levels as part of our long-term developmental focus on the game. There will be a talent hunt, after which this lot will be trained by top coaches not only from India but from abroad too. I believe that at all the major events next year, we must have doubles as a significant component. We will not be called a world power, if we cannot excel comprehensively as a team. So, it is imperative to do well in all paired events too. BAI will do everything professionally possible to plug this loop-hole. Tell us about the much-awaited BAI initiative — Indian Badminton League (IBL)? We have initiated the IBL to provide more opportunities and better appearance and prize money to our top players. The IBL will also be a milestone in world badminton as it will be the first of its kind event. It will help generate a major awareness in the country about badminton and that in turn, will help BAI get more sponsorship which will eventually benefit our hardworking players. Our top youth players will also be part of teams in IBL and they derive good experience from it. Speaking of increasing the popularity of the game, what else needs to be done to ensure badminton gets due recognition in India? We are blessed to have some wonderful players right now. I don’t around four or five years ago, many would have expected Indian shuttlers to rub shoulders with their Chinese and Korean counterparts in singles events, but that’s exactly what has happened. And unlike the past wherein we just one Natekar or a Padukone or a Gopichand — all lone rangers — today we have a handful of players who are all world beaters, thanks to the BAI’s progressive policies. We plan to bring more international events to India so that the domestic circuit is strengthened and many of our players get opportunities to compete in such events. BAI is looking also at aggressive publicity through social media like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, etc. We will also ensure better prize money in domestic events across all quarters and also increase the number of domestic tournaments.
Just wondering why all the fireworks re India badminton, not Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia or some other nations. I believe one thread was closed re India badminton also. If all parties do not take a step back and think twice before posting, it is likes asking who is the most beautiful woman, you might get 10 answers from 10 persons from the same country, let alone this Forum consists of people from the whole world. We all entitle to our own opinions and expressing them but we have no right to downgrade the others. This Forum has no impact on either India's badminton rising or falling no matter which side wins the argument. So sit back and enjoy the game. Don't forget to do your best to grow the game of badminton. I personal hope India and other nations will become stronger challenging China because I dislike seeing one country winning most of the time. Thanks.
What a sh*t load of BS~ Where was your sincerity to promote the sport from the beginning? Where were your so-called "progressive policies" when they were needed 10 years ago? I guess you guys were sleeping at that time... And now that the talent has made its way through to the top on its own sweat and money you guys want to cash in on that. Pathetic bunch of parasites trying to loach off of others' success whom you didn't even care for before. Progressive policies my a**. Where were you guys 8-9 years ago when the likes of Chetan Anand, Arvind Bhatt, Jwala Gutta were beginning to make waves? Where were you guys when they needed precious coaching and guidance. I have seen the careers of those guys being devastated because of lack of your "progressive policies" back then. Although its different issue that the players themselves made some mistakes. There was no BAI when Gopi was stressing on the fact that we needed better infrastructure and structured coaching and training program. There was no BAI when Gopi was begging for a piece of land to start his academy. There was no BAI when Gopi was cash strapped while building his academy, he had to sell his mom's jewellery which was not much but did cover some of the expenses. Yes the academy is his personal asset. But then why use his "personal asset" now to create and train the talent in the country. BAI should build its own infrastructure now that they have money. Please excuse me for my rant here. But I just wanted to point out that BAI is a pathetic organization which never did anything for its players. They have stepped in now only because they smell money and they only see the sport as a money minting machine, IBL is the brain child of that greed. Nothing more, nothing less. The organization never cared for the sport nor the country. I dont want to sound like a pro Gopichand but unfortunately our entire Indian Badminton team consists of his players at the moment except for Ajay and Anand. He is the one who showed what policies needed to adopted, how the players need to be trained, what the players needs are and what kind of infrastructure is needed to run this sport in the country. LOL! isnt it funny how BAI is jumping in taking all the credit. Shame on you BAI.
Ramp walk by Indian badminton players before India Open 2013. There is a video glimses of the same. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9Bvc2sgHso
The importance given by certain countries to upcoming Sudhirman Cup tournament made me to think about the situation prevailing in india for this sport. Though the game has started to pull many youngsters , it is still in the backyard for many issues. With the great grand meeting for the players who are going to participate in the upcoming Sudhirman Cup from Indonesia , i am really amazed... I was thinking some days back that India would be able to trounce Indonesia if they get that extra point (in any of the doubles) and considering the singles' points as granted. I made a great blunder in coming to that decision that, after seeing the importance given by certain countries(for eg.Indonesia) for the tournament involved, definitely indonesia is in the upperhand for the upcoming tournament. With P.Kashyap(out of form) , i don't think there will be any chance in getting even that point for Men's singles.. I have no doubt about the fighting spirit of P.V.Sindhu, but in front of extra-charged indonesian players (that goes to chinese players as well, they are training hard for 15 days )I have certain doubt now with the very lean line up, will they be able to get atleast a point against formidable teams in place. I have no offense against indian players now. I have heard Gopichand as saying to some interview that he is very well confident in moving to next round. How??? Any logical reason to prove it??? Not at all. I am very disappointed with the way india is considering Sudhirman cup . With so many Men's singles players under top 50, India has sent just two. If they are very much confident in moving to next round, they could have sent atleast two more men's singles players who are very capable.. With the condition and the quality of current squad which were sent to KualaLumpur from India, i think that india can get a maximum of two points . Thats all.
