New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS): Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu hits back at criticism she faced over the issue of funding cut that left Indian shuttlers to bear the expenses of their recent European tour, arguing that funding athletes should be viewed as an investment in the country’s sporting future rather than an unnecessary burden on the system.
Sindhu’s comments come amid a debate over the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) alleged decision not to finance the Indian contingent’s four-tournament European campaign, which included competitions in Finland, Denmark, France and Germany. The issue came into focus after Sindhu and Lakshya Sen won the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany, on Sunday.
Taking to social media, Sindhu highlighted the financial imbalance between professional badminton and other established sporting circuits, pointing out that players face substantial expenses regardless of their results, while tournament earnings can vary drastically depending on how far they progress.
“I don’t think your tweet fully captures the reality of professional badminton. A first-round exit at Wimbledon earns 80,000 pounds. Winning the China Open, one of badminton’s richest tournaments, earns USD 140,000. Lose in the first round? Just USD 2,000. Yet our expenses are largely similar. Travel, coaches, physios, trainers and support teams. I’ve had long conversations with Rohan Bopanna about this very disparity.
"I agree that established athletes should strive to be financially independent. I’ve been fortunate to have wonderful sponsors, but not everyone has that privilege. That’s also why organisations like @OGQ_India are so important,” Sindhu wrote in response to an X post.
The Indian shuttler also drew attention to the difficulties faced by younger players, particularly those who do not have the financial backing or sponsorship arrangements available to established international names.
“More importantly, younger players had to compete without coaches, while several withdrew from tournaments. I can find ways to fund my tour. But what about the 18-year-old chasing her dreams, hoping to become the next Sindhu or Lakshya?,” Sindhu questioned.
"And I must acknowledge the tremendous support the Government of India and Sports Authority of India (SAI) have extended to athletes like us over the years. Their contribution to Indian sport cannot be understated. Accountability is absolutely necessary. But supporting athletes isn’t bleeding the system. It’s investing in India’s sporting future. And we shouldn’t lose sight of that," she expressed.
SAI sources had earlier said that the issue arose because BAI failed to submit its funding proposal within the prescribed deadline. The authority maintained that the revised guidelines require national federations to submit proposals, complete with player names, at least 30 days before a tournament.
"BAI did not submit their proposal within the pre-set time. Federations will also have to start acting responsibly," SAI official told IANS.
"Earlier, the rules required federations to submit proposals 90 days in advance without names and 60 days in advance with the names. This was primarily because you could plan your trip well in advance. But the federation said it could not do it that early, so we revised the deadline to 30 days.
"Even then, we did not receive the proposal. These new guidelines apply to everybody. If we don’t have the proposal with the names 30 days before a tournament, we will not process it,” the official added.
The absence of coaching support was also felt during the European campaign, with Ashmita Chaliha receiving assistance from fellow Indian shuttler Isharani Baruah during her French Open victory over Akane Yamaguchi, while young Tanvi Sharma competed without a coach despite reaching the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.