CHENNAI: If you look at the top senior shuttlers in the country, representation from Tamil Nadu is currently nil. That has been the case for long, but the juniors are making up for it. Slowly and steadily, boys and girls from the state are racking up gold medals and podium finishes. Lakshya Sen and Gayatri Gopichand might be the household junior names, but there is an army of youngsters marching down to replace them. And some of them are in action at the ongoing All-India Junior Ranking badminton tournament.
Here’s proof to support this. Last year, Sankar Muthusamy bagged a first-ever Grand Prix medal when he bagged bronze in Indonesia. In 2017, Karan Rajan bagged gold at Guatemala Future Series, the first international title for the state. In the same year, there were three players — Satish Kumar, Siddanth Gupta and VS Varshini — who represented India at Asian Championships. The list keeps on going.
But what has changed? The popularity of the sport has shot up like never before, attracting a lot of youngsters. But it is also the way the sport is run in the state that has led to the rise. And according to Tamilnadu Badminton Association (TNBA) secretary VE Arunachalam, the decision to make all state championships open to all, and mandatory for certain players who have represented India, has increased the standard. “Since 2014, we have conducted two ranking-tournaments and a championship for juniors. Totally, around 400 played in those four meets earlier. In the last two, three years, we have received around 500 entries for each age category.
“In 2018, we have conducted 21 tournaments in all for U-13, U-15, U-17, U-19 and seniors. Nearly 19,000 took part. The number of seniors was negligible compared to kids. Prior to 2014, it was more like an invitational tournament. Now, every district runs a championship, and it’s open to all.”
With more competition among juniors, TNBA decided to give out cash awards. “Last year alone, we have given away cash prizes worth `10 lakh to medallists. That has certainly played a part,” he added.
But all this work will mean nothing if the growth stagnates. While TNBA is hopeful to translate wins at the senior level in the coming years, it’s not easy. More infrastructure and money will be needed. But they have started laying down the foundation. “We are planning to get a national-level academy in Tamil Nadu by 2022, like that of Pullella Gopichand’s in Hyderabad.”