Pullela Gopichand blames hectic calendar for shuttlers' poor run in 2019 The slump in form for the major badminton stars of India comes at a rather awkward time with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics around the corner. Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi May 24, 2019 UPDATED: May 24, 2019 16:05 IST Gopichand said that first lot of preparation for the Olympics will start in June (IANS Photo) Excerpt: Indian men's badminton team had clinched gold at the Commonwealth Games Srikanth managed to reach quarter finals of only Indian Open PV Sindhu crashed out of the Malaysia Open in the first round 2019 has not been a happy year for Indian badminton. The latest disappointment came at the Sudirman Cup, the world mixed team championship, where India crashed out in the first round after defeats to Malaysia and China. National coach Pullela Gopichand is of the opinion that the downturn comes due to the fact that the players had to go through a rather hectic 2018 with the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships. "Last year was a very tough calendar and we hardly had any time for preparation," Gopichand told IANS. Gopichand said that first lot of preparation for the Olympics will start in June and July following which he expects a better performance from the players. "It is the first time where we get about five to six weeks with the players and that's when we hope that we will be able to reverse this run," he said. Gopichand also said that this period of training was planned well in advance and the players' performances won't cause any changes to it.
India has a panel of selectors. All of the selectors are also coaches or have their own academies like Gopichand, Vimal Kumar, Madhumita Bisht While this is a clear conflict of interest, there is no other option at the moment. There is an internal war with the selectors, which is not in the interest of Indian badminton. Most of the players are selected from the Gopichand Academy and it's only natural that the other selectors will feel their players are being neglected and not given enough opportunities. In 2018 when the A team except Saina Nehwal, Sai Praneeth Sameer Verma skipped the Thomas/Uber Cup. It opened up places for players outside the Gopichand academy. Gopichand was furious when Prajakata Sawant, Vaishnavi Jakka Reddy and other players outside Gopichand Academy were selected. The conspiracy theory was Gopichand instructed the players to lose at the group stage. He wanted a media backlash against the outside players. For the 2019 Sudirman Cup Gopichand picked the bare minimum 13 players. He blocked the selection of any reserves and players outside the Gopichand academy. He chose not to accompany the team, didn't select the strongest team. Without the intent to win and players just playing for the sake of playing, the result is there for everyone to see. I would rather he chose a few A team players who were willing to play with passion and given the opportunity to some B team players than the farce we saw in China. Gopichand's current priority are Individual tournaments like Olympics, WC and some Super tournaments. Team events like Commonwealth games and Asian Games. I should state that I am pro India and care deeply about Indian badminton. I appreciate Gopichand for his services and the laurels he has brought India. I am disappointed with his attitude to players outside the Gopichand academy and to team events like Thomas/Uber/Sudirman Cup. I don't hold him responsible for everything that ails Indian badminton. BAI also has a major role to play in taking Indian badminton forward.
Karan trains in Denmark. Plays for a club there. I think he didn't get permission to play in the Indian national open (or ranking) tournament due to some reason. Now he plays from Denmark. I think the transfer happened couple of months back. Couple of weeks back, national champion Saurabh Verma narrowly managed to win against Karan 25-23 - third game.
It seems his ego has fully caught up with him and will not allow him to even consider that someone else could maybe contribute to Indian badminton - or maybe he didn't even care about that at all in the first place and simply wants to make a much money as somehow possible
Gopichand definitely likes to take most of the credit for Indian Badminton and likes to hog the limelight. Ego issues are also a key factor in some of his decisions on player selection. Ego issues grow bigger when not nipped in the bud. The players who go against Gopichnad face the backlash. In 2018 the 'outside players' faced the media backlash and 2019 the A team players faced the media backlash. It wasn't like this for the 2014, 2016 Thomas/Uber Cup and 2017 Sudirman Cup. This bad habit started in 2018 when Srikanth and Sindhu and other A team players wanted to skip the Thomas/Uber Cup. I just hope he starts taking Thomas/Uber/Sudirman Cup seriously from 2020. India are hosts for the Sudirman Cup in 2023.
Skipping TC was ridiculous to me back then and still is. Seems a bit like a petulant child that doesn't want to participate in sth because it knows it weint do well tbh
Samiya is another Saina in the making V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM,MAY 26, 2019 23:57 IST Champion shuttler Samiya Imad Farooqui with her parents. City girl wins national ranking tourney in Chennai She is rated to be one of the best young badminton talent in India. And, on Sunday, the 15-year-old gifted shuttler from the city, Samiya Imad Farooqui, served a reminder of her growing stature, winning her maiden National under-19 ranking tournament in Chennai on Sunday. “It feels great to win the first-ever title as I really worked had in extremely hot weather and it will remain a special one. Frankly, I never expected to win it but just tried to give off my best,” the articulate young champion from the city informedThe Hinduon her return on Sunday evening. The 10th standard Open school student interestingly won the ABC under-15 title two years ago but never a national-ranking event. “Yes, when I look ahead, this title is sure to spur me to achieve big. I am thankful to Gopi Sir who has been my mentor and always there to help me in giving those invaluable tips,” says Samiya. “I am privileged to see the big guns like Saina, Sindhu train in the same Academy since 2009 and sometimes they do encourage me, stressing the importance of fitness,” she said. A huge fan of the World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taipei, the young Hyderabad shuttler confesses that sometimes she tries to play like her idol even while acknowledging that it is never going to be easy. “Yes I see a lot of her videos, she is such a great player,” she added. Samiya also points out that she needs to work a lot more on fitness and reduce the unforced errors for better results. Mantra for success Her mantra for success is pretty simple - under pressure, keep the shuttle in play and minimise the errors. And, Samiya says she did exactly that in Chennai to win her maiden national title and hopes to repeat such performances in the days to come. And, her next big assignment is in Thiruvananthapuram - All India ranking championship this month-end. This young girl will be flying back from the city within two days and is not deterred by the hectic schedule. Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...other-saina-in-the-making/article27256319.ece
Maisnam Meiraba Luwang and Samiya Imad Farooqui are talented junior players who will make the senior transition over the next 2 years. Hoping to see many good performances from them.
HS Prannoy feels Indian camp lacks 'team culture', Sports Shivam Damohe May 31, 2019 16:58:03 IST Excerpt: File image of HS Prannoy. AFP “It was a tough draw and we couldn’t last as we hoped. Everyone in the team has analysed that we squandered our opportunities against Malaysia,” says Sameer Verma, who wilted under pressure in a must-win singles tie. But then Indian teams have hardly ruffled feathers at team events over the years. Let’s exclude the Commonwealth Games, of course. The real competition is against the Asian powerhouses – China, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia. “CWG was comparatively easy and when you get to the final, you’ll do everything to win it. There haven’t been great results this year. 2017 was a good season where everyone was in form but what people don’t get is that form doesn’t come every year. People might want to say that Japan is consistently on top but it’s the system they’ve laid to churn out good results,” HS Prannoy explains. “For team events, we never go to win. We don’t have that culture where players will die to play for team events like the Indonesians. These traits are not instilled and it should begin from a young age. Whatever you’re doing on the court, it’s for your country and not for the individual success. You must have seen how Kento Momota reacted after winning a match at the Sudirman Cup, while on the other hand, he doesn’t even flinch after claiming gold medals at individual events,” he says. Prannoy, who registered his first major win at the New Zealand Open last month, called for a robust structure in place for the smooth functioning of the sport at a higher level. “If you look at other Asian teams, every level of players is given the opportunity to go abroad and play tournaments. Even at a Challenger tournament, you’ll see a Japanese team with their support staff, coaches and physios. Isn’t that systemized? In India, we only fight for the main team to go for the big tournaments,” says Prannoy, who made a comeback this year after almost succumbing to injuries and respiratory problems. The third and fourth batch of players have complained about the financial crunch they face while competing at international tournaments. Hence, less exposure and training. The career trajectory of up-and-coming shuttlers is worrisome and Prannoy feels that it's time for a major change. “Here we see our players and some youngsters competing on their own expense. Nobody to fund them. So, they end up playing a couple of tournaments and back off. Everything is banked on the first top-10 of the country. We need to make sure that the next batches are supported properly. I have seen so many of them leaving badminton due to lack of support. The second-largest country in the world but no champions? The system is at fault,' the 26-year-old reasons. "If I was a coach for the next 5-10 years, I would ask my wards to focus on team events rather than individual events. We’re not nurtured in that way and nobody understands the importance of representing a country at a team event. You’re playing for a group of people who are depending on your antics on the court," he adds. The likes of China, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia have laid the foundations right from the beginning. It's evident how they are ahead of the game in terms of the quality, training methods, fitness regimes and innovations. These nations have been consistent in delivering results at the grandest stage of all. "We need to learn more from other countries. It’s important to know how we manage our load. There might be a lot of focus given on the recovery aspect, which we honestly don’t. We don’t have the resources that we should get in sports science; we’re very well behind when you compare it to other countries. It’s a matter of concern for all of us but I can only hope we make our mark at team events soon," concludes Prannoy. Link: https://www.firstpost.com/sports/hs...e-recognised-as-asian-powerhouse-6735541.html
hsp is 100% correct. however, it all starts with $$$$$. just ask all the national teams he did not mention. nothing will change without it. india, as a country, has plenty of $ floating around. can you convince the current sponsors of pvs & ks to spread their $ differently around badminton? that's a ?'n only they can answer. so here we are back at square one... welcome to club majority...
I agree the ($$) money investment plays a major part in developing a sport. If we look at the money 20 years ago, there was no government or corporate sponsorship coming into Indian badminton. Saina Nehwal's Olympic Bronze Medal in 2012 opened the government coffers and corporate sponsorship for developing badminton in India. WC medals and PV Sindhu's Olympic Silver Medal in 2016 made the government prioritise badminton as an Olympic medal prospect. This has ensured that the National team (A team is funded) for BWF tournaments throughout the year. It is the players in the B,C, D teams who are struggling for funding. There is some funding for top junior players. The key to more government money and corporate sponsorship is consistent WC medals and Olympic medals. Every 5 years the money will increase and more players will get supported. Badminton is vibrant at the grassroots level and Indian parents look at badminton as a worthy investment for their kids. We have already started losing talent to other countries as everyone won't get access to the top academies and funding. Indian badminton will go through ups and downs but the future looks good. Once Indian doubles players start winning titles, we should see better results and more money coming in.
Unacceptable results. Am tired of hearing excuses. Sindhu is definitely out of form in the wrong period. Except Srikanth, all the top players have participated and all of them lost. This is really a concern . Disappointed.
I agree, disappointing performances and excuses are not worthy. Gopichand blamed the hectic 2018 schedule, the six weeks training that they now have is supposed to help them perform better. The next tournament is the INA WTS 1000 on July 16 and Japan WTS 750 July on 23. The performances at these 2 tournaments will show how well they used this training time. Indian badminton is facing one of its lows and only time will show how long it takes to come out of this dark tunnel.
Quite a few Indian players have registered for the Canada Open WT 100 July 02 and USA Open WTS 300 July 09. Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy are hoping to grab points here and should be tired by the time the INA open starts. The following players will only play at INA and Japan: Sameer Verma, Srikanth Kidambi, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Satwik Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty Ashwini Ponappa They will be the only players who have utilised the complete training plan and are fresh for the INA and Japan tournaments.
Sikki Reddy/Pranaav Jerry Chopra play at Canada Open Manu Attri/Sumeeth Reddy play USA Open They will also play at INA and Japan. The list of players I gave will only play INA and Japan.
