BAI appoints doubles legend Mathias Boe for Olympics

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) on Friday approved the request of India's badminton players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy -- ranked ninth in the Race to Tokyo Olympics with 16 pairs eligible -- to rope in Boe of Denmark to train them in the run-up to the Olympics.

New Delhi: Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Ajay Singhania has welcomed the inclusion of Olympic silver medalist Mathias Boe in the coaching line-up and said that his experience will help our players with the much-needed guidance.

The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) on Friday approved the request of India's badminton players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy -- ranked World No. 10 in men's doubles -- to rope in Boe of Denmark to train them in the run-up to the Olympics.

"BAI welcomes Olympic Medallist Mathias Boe as coach for the Indian doubles team. He has been a champion player and has mentored several Danish shuttlers during his playing time. He has also played in the PBL and has seen the Indian shuttlers from close quarters. Indian doubles players had a good run at the recently-concluded Asian leg in Thailand and we believe Boe's valuable experience and understanding of the game will help our players with the much-needed guidance," said Ajay Singhania, secretary, BAI.

Rankireddy and Shetty are currently ninth in the Race to Tokyo with 16 pairs eligible. During his tenure, Boe will also help the other doubles team supported under TOPS -- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Ashwini Ponnappa and Ashwini Ponnappa-Sikki Reddy.

Boe has had a distinguished doubles career in which he also won the All-England Championships twice in 2011 and 2015 and was a silver medalist at the 2013 World Championships.

Chirag Shetty, who has partnered Boe in some events in the past and trained with him in Mumbai when the Badminton Tour was suspended, mooted the idea of bringing Boe on board.