CHENNAI: Like boxing, badminton was a major disappointment for India at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The sport that had fetched a medal at all Olympics since Saina Nehwal's bronze in the 2012 London Olympics (followed by PV Sindhu's silver and bronze) failed to deliver in Paris. The most heartbreaking moment was the loss of Lakshya Sen in the bronze-medal playoff.
It was so disheartening that India legend and coach Prakash Padukone couldn't help but say that even the players should take responsibility, especially after they have been given every possible help by all stakeholders like the Sports Authority of India (SAI) national federation, academies. India's fabled men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Sindhu and others faltered. Barring the spark that Lakshya Sen displayed, there was not much to cheer about.
As the dust of Olympic disillusionment is settling down, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has already started their assessment. The BAI would not want to dwell much on the past results as their primary motive would be to focus on the future – the 2028 and the 2032 Olympics. They would want to put a proper system in place and rectify the mistakes.
They would endeavour to nurture young talents, who could be natural replacements for seniors as and when they move out. The ongoing BWF Super 750 event is an apt reflection. Without top players like Sindhu, and Lakshya giving it a miss, the Indian players in the draw did not do well. Almost all exited in the first round. There is a serious lack of depth and the next-gen players have not been good enough to fill in the shoes of the likes of Sindhu or Kidambi Srikanth.
BAI Secretary General Sanjay Mishra explained as much. He said that the federation would discuss the roadmap for the future with their committee members, and chief coach and with the approval of BAI president (Himanta Biswa Sarma), they would put together a plan. They would also consult and propose the plan to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the sports ministry.
The BAI felt that there should be a mix of experienced and young players in a large pool of about 40 players who would be playing in the top BWF tournaments and they should not rely on just two or three players to represent the country at major events. The idea for BAI would be to create enough bench strength that if a top player misses out, there should be a good number of players to fill in.
Mishra felt there should be continuity in India's success. Not winning a medal in Paris is a big reality check and the BAI is now looking to ensure that the winning touch is back by the next Olympics. With that ambition in mind, he said that they have to create a pool of players and there should be enough depth too.
"There is no dearth of talent in this country, especially in badminton," he said. "We have to put proper systems in place to create a big pool of players."
For example, he pointed out that all the top players can be in the A+ group, the next should be A, then B, and so on.
Mishra said that Padukone (sir) won the All England then there was a long gap until Gopichand; again there was a long gap. Then Saina Nehwal won a medal in London, followed by Sindhu’s two in Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
"We have some good players in men's like (Kidambi) Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Saurabh (Verma), Sameer (Verma) and now Lakshya Sen. But somehow the numbers we should have, we are somehow not being able to get that," he explained.
The Indians had tasted joy during the Asian Championships where Sindhu's experience helped the younger players like Anmol Kharb and others. BAI's idea is to protect the seniors and nurture the juniors.
The BAI official cited an example too. India has senior players in the 24-plus age group but in the 18-22 age group, there should be about 25-30 players. And so in the 13-17. That is where the BAI would want to concentrate - to create a large pool of players.
"If you are working with 50 players, then only 10-15 players will win in big tournaments, not all of them," he said. "We should have a certain number of players with us. This will also help when the seniors leave. We should have three players ready, who can win BWF 750 or 1000 series tournaments."
The BAI wants continuity in regard to winning medals. Mishra said that it should not be like in earlier days when the country had to wait for years for an All-England title. Prakash Padukone, then P Gopichand and then Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. This year goes blank and the federation doesn't want another Olympics to go by without a medal.
One area the BAI is a bit concerned with is with excessive support that the athletes get. The BAI secretary felt that whatever support the shuttlers are getting must be routed through the federation and SAI. He felt that too much interference by external agencies, like certain NGOs, is not beneficial for the players. He felt that players should get support but with the federation and SAI's approval.
"We should know what a player wants, whether it is a genuine demand/request. I would say that too much of the facility can be harmful if not monitored."
He cited another example to make his argument. "For the younger players, we chalk out a schedule like compete in two big tournaments and then practice for 20-25 days and then again compete and practice. Sometimes some players compete in back-to-back five tournaments with the help of others' support. This should not happen. That can disrupt their cycle. Federation and SAI must be consulted. There are small issues that need to be addressed and a proper system needs to be in place."
The federation could be looking at similar systems that produced Olympic medals earlier. The next Olympic cycle has already begun. What BAI and the rest of the stakeholders including the players do in the following months could be crucial in shaping the country's future.
