Hyderabad: Badminton champ Jwala Gutta on Saturday launched her own badminton academy in Hyderabad.
A visibly thrilled Jwala announced that the ‘Global Academy for Badminton’ would serve as a talent scout to discover the next big name in the game. The academy at Kukatpally will set off with a budget of Rs 20 crore. The expansion of academy to other metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata will happen by the end of 2017.
“Indians have started taking badminton seriously. Our academy will help in scouting young talent, nurturing and training them,” said Jwala. “There will be equal focus on doubles and the singles. There won’t be any discrimination,” she added.
When asked about spotlight on rural areas, she said, “Badminton courts are only restricted to cities and the children in rural areas are missing out. So, we would like to extend our academy to remote regions as well.”
The academy will also tie-up with schools and the centres will be opened on school premises.
Knock out Wellness, the firm partnering with Jwala said it was excited about the prospects. “She would set new benchmarks using her immense experience and skills,” said Knock out Wellness co-Owner Mohit Verma.
“Our coaches, under the mentorship of Jwala, would provide the right guidance for players to make badminton their full-time profession,” he added.
