KOCHI: National badminton chief coach Pullela Gopichand believes that the Denmark Open, which is set to be held next month, will not suffer the same fate as the Thomas and Uber Cup which was postponed after a string of pull-outs.
The veteran coach also felt that it was vital for competitions to re-start soon. "It's important now (for events to re-start). It's been six months. The first two months... maybe it was rest and recovery, next two-three months were about starting the practice but now, I think it's time to start looking at preparing for the future," said Gopichand during a webinar on Wednesday, organised by IDBI Federal Life Insurance, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and FIT India.
According to him, players are still in some degree of uncertainty. "I believe players are not trusting the fact that the badminton calendar is going to start very soon. So there is a bit of a lag from the players' side trying to get together, especially if you are a doubles team, to get together and train. But in all probability, the Danish Open will happen and once it starts, then players will start saying that we better move quicker and get going because the circuit is on," he said.
With sporting activities resuming across the world inside bio-secure bubbles, Gopichand feels that India should not be left behind.
"Sports across the world has started and it would mean that we need to start as well. If you are able to divide the players in the country as per their levels and start competing, it's a much faster way of creating those bubbles and ensuring that people don't have to travel too much and they are still able to compete," he said.
Athletics events from Jan? Meanwhile, AFI president Adille Sumariwalla has said that they hope to start athletic events in India from January 2021. "About ten days ago, we took a conscious decision to push competitions to January onwards," said Sumariwalla, who was also a speaker during the webinar.
He also said that the AFI have had discussions with the government about giving their Olympic-bound athletes the priority when it comes to the Covid-19 vaccine.
"We need to make sure once the vaccine comes out, the Olympic-bound athletes should be amongst the first batches to get it," he said.
Recently, tennis star Novak Djokovic had raised apprehensions about taking vaccination for the virus. Reflecting on whether athletes had any concerns over taking vaccinations, or if it would cause problems when it comes to doping regulations, Sumariwalla was clear.
"If the Government of India has cleared it, I don't believe there is a problem. I don't think there is any issue with dope control. Absolutely not, because it's a worldwide thing and WADA would have taken enough cognizance of the fact that these are not performance-enhancing drugs and actually to protect the athlete's health and well-being," he said.
Gopichand echoed a similar sentiment. "I don't think there will be an issue with athletes. They are just waiting for the vaccine to come. There will be trials which will ensure that athletes are feeling confident when they take the vaccine," said Gopichand.