Hyderabad:India's national coach Pullela Gopichand in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat opened up about the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics and how shuttlers are preparing for the biggest sporting event.
Gopichand also slammed the sports ministry for not having a proper governing system in sports. He also said for Indian to secure top spot at the top of the BWF rankings, we need to make sure players, coaches and administrators are more responsible.
When Gopichand was asked if badminton powerhouse is shifting from China to India, he said, "I think, it would be too early to say that we are breaking the Chinese wall in terms of dominance. But China is no longer the badminton powerhouse they were once. Now even countries like Denmark, Spain and Japan are producing world-class athletes."
Gopichand further said, "For India to be a badminton powerhouse we need to work on our coaching, infrastructure and support system."
Talking about Indian players' inconsistent performance throughout 2018, Gopichand said, "There are many reasons behind our inconsistent performance. But Saina Nehwal's victory in Malaysia Open last year, Satwik and Chirag's win in doubles are a bright spot for us."
However, the national coach also accepted that the shuttlers were not able to perform consistently and that is something they need to work on.
Speaking about injury scare for shuttlers ahead of 2020 summer games, Gopichand said, "Unfortunately, the chance to back-off too much is not there because the Olympic qualification take into count all 52 weeks preceding the 2020 April deadline. So we do not have the option of not participating and preparing. Even if you have injuries then you have to push yourself."
Gopi also emphasised over the fact that shuttlers need to be smart in managing their workload. He also heaped praises on Nehwal for her brilliant consistency in the last decade.