Gopi says it will be a “self-sufficient facility where the players can stay as well as train
Pullela Gopichand
Hyderabad: Chief National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has added a new feather to his cap. The Dronacharya Awardee, who runs a highly successful academy — which comprises eight badminton courts — at Gachibowli, is set to launch a second, nine-court facility in the same area. The new academy is expected to be launched at the end of this month or early November — a date has yet to be finalised — and will be inaugurated by Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Gopi reckons the new facility will ease some pressure on him and his coaching and support staff. “The number of players training at the Academy has gone up over the last few years and because of that, we have been finding it difficult to manage, especially as a lot of these players are beginning to play extremely well,” Gopi said.
“Hopefully, this new nine-court facility will ease some of the pressure on us. With the growing number of good players, we need more infrastructure and this academy might just be what we need,” he added.
The new academy is being partially financed by the state government. “We’ve put in funds of our own and there is support from the state government as well,” Gopi added.
The academy will have all the facilities that Gopi’s current academy has — lodging for the players, gym and a cafeteria. It is coming up near the Centre for Good Governance at Gachibowli in Hyderabad.
Gopi says it will be a “self-sufficient facility where the players can stay as well as train.” This development just reinforces the fact that Hyderabad is the hub of Indian badminton. The Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy is widely considered one of the finest in Asia.
Gopi has produced world class shuttlers in the form of women’s World No.1 Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, Kidambi Srikanth, P.V. Sindhu and many others. While Saina has since shifted base to Bengaluru, the others still train under the national coach.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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