Badminton: Why Gopichand Turned to Badminton Administration 

The recently-elected vice president of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) is confident that his new job, alongside his role as a chief national coach, will enable him to improve communication between players and administrators. 

Pullela Gopichand made a shocking decision to send his name for the Badminton Association of India elections in March 2022. The 48-year-old clarified that he would compete for the post of General Secretary. However, he decided to file his nomination for the Vice-President's seat at the last minute, and junior national coach Sanjay Mishra staked a claim for the Secretary's position. Gopichand then became one of the 12 Vice-Presidents of BAI. 

Gopichand attended the Meet the Champion programme organised by Gera Developers on Saturday; he said, "Badminton as a sport has grown quite widely, and I think it is good to see the kind of depth that we have today. Administration of the sport is very important, and I am glad BAI president Mr Himanta Biswa Sarma wanted me to help and support. To connect the players, coaches and the admin. Sometimes this connect thread is missing. I hope I can be that thread."

Will Gopi Also Be a Coach to His Daughter Gayatri?

BAI declared the list of team members for the Commonwealth Games and Thomas & Uber Cup, including his daughter Gayatri in the women's doubles event with Treesa Jolly. However, he would not have any role to play in her training. "We have coaches in charge of individual events, and each one does their job, so I don't have to get involved, said the former badminton legend. "But I am glad that she is part of the team; they won all their matches to qualify for the team. It's also good to see that they reached the semis of the All England."

Rather than becoming a coach to his daughter, Gopi wants to alleviate the existing blocks in the Indian badminton circuit. He wants to solve the issue of age fudging, which has his attention. "It is a nuisance that needs to be curbed. Having said that, if we have been able to control it completely? I don't know. Medical tests cannot give you conclusive results, the judiciary is involved, and people get stay orders from the court and can't do anything. So, it is a much more complex issue," said Gopi. 

He continued, "In general, we need to develop certain policies wherever parents/players are known to do it deliberately; it is important to have a hefty punishment because they are spoiling generations of players, and I think that is not accepted." All members of the Executive Council were elected unanimously on March 25, 2022. With big plans and reforms on his schedule, Gopichand might be the necessary change in the Indian landscape of Badminton.