The onus will be on the big players to decide the dates of the Senior Nationals henceforth to ensure that they will compete in them, says Himanta Biswa Sarma, president of Badminton Association of India.
Mr. Sarma, speaking on the sidelines of the on-going Senior Nationals here, said that it would be unfair to impose the dates of the Nationals and expect these superstars to play in them in view of their demanding schedule.
“We care for the interests of the players and we are here to see what suits them best as they pursue their goals on the bigger stages. So, from next year onwards, we leave it to these marquee players to see how best they can spare three to four days in a year so that the BAI can finalise the Nationals date,” the BAI chief said. “Yes, we leave the option of those dates to the players and accordingly we will plan out the Nationals schedule,” he said.
“Given the fact that Indian players are a huge attraction world over, we respect their commitments and also the coaches opinion too as ultimately the bigger goal is to see India win as many medals as possible at the highest level in Continental events like the Commonwealth, Asian Games and the Olympics,” Mr. Sarma said.
Even chief national coach Pullela Gopi Chand felt it would be unfair to expect the big names to play in every tournament given the kind of demanding schedule they have.
“If you look at the calendar next year, it is packed giving little breathing space. And, since the expectations are going to be high in the wake of the stunning performances of the Indian shuttlers, it is imperative we give the players the freedom to train, stay focussed and choose the events with adequate recovery time,” Gopi said. “And, mind you, all this with the specific objective of winning more laurels for the country,” he added.
Gopi appreciated the way Nagpur Nationals were conducted and felt Maharashtra Badminton Association president Arun Lakhani and his team had set a benchmark in many aspects which will be difficult for the others to emulate in future.
For his part, Arun Lakhani says that the specific objective of ensuring big names in this Nationals is to see that the next year’s host can lure the broadcasters to market the event itself in a bigger way because of its brand image with the iconic players taking part in it.