New Delhi: The Indian Badminton Association (BAI) has written to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the sanction of four travel coaches, including head coach Pullela Gopichand, and two physios to travel with the Indian badminton contingent to the Tokyo Olympics .
Apart from Gopichand, who has been to the last three Olympic Games, the three foreign coaches – Agus Dwi Santoso (Indonesia), Park Tae Sang (Korea) and Mathias Boe (Denmark) are mentioned in the letter, in addition to the two physios Sumansh Sivalanka and Evangline Baddam (female).
“Badminton has shot the best medals in Tokyo and a letter was sent to the IOA on Monday with the six-member support team also containing the name of head coach Gopichand and the group of four players,” a BAI source said.
The silver medalist PV Sindhu from Rio, the bronze medalist B Sai Praneeth from the world championships and the second place in the world for men, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, are the Indian commuters who qualified for the Tokyo Games which would start on July 23.
According to the norms, the number of officials traveling to the Olympic Games may not exceed one third of the athlete. However, the sports ministry can allow extra officials at no cost to the government.
In the run-up to the Olympics, Sindhu is training under Park at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, while Santoso is working with Praneeth and Boe has been appointed to lead Chirag and Satwik in their first Games.
Therefore, the BAI sought the advice of the Olympic Indian commuters before writing to the IOA.
With Gopichand at the helm of affairs, India has returned with a bronze and a silver from the last two editions in London and Rio de Janeiro.
However, the head coach apparently said last week that he will not go to Tokyo this time.
‘It’s going to be difficult because you only get 1/3 of the support staff who go with the team … I can not travel to Tokyo either, because I believe the immediate coaches who trained the players should do it . going as the first priority, ”he said during a TV interview.
Source: Telangana Today