In a major boost to the sport in the country, Badminton Association of India on Friday inaugurated the National Center of Excellence that will not only hone players' skill but will develop coaches.
While renowned Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo will be looking into the development of singles players, former All England champion Russia’s Ivan Sozonov and Korea’s Park Tae-Sang will be in-charge of the coaching panel.
The duo will train and develop a string of Indian coaches to meet the global standards.
“Skills of the coaches will be taken to next level,” BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra said during the launch.
“I will personally oversee the project along with my colleagues in BAI.”
Terming this a great step for Indian badminton, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu said in a video message said: "The sport will benefit a lot from this,”
World no. 2 men's doubles player Chirag Shetty said: “Having a such a center not only exciting but also a gamechanger for Indian badminton.”
The programme was also attended by Assam Chief Minister and BAI President Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, 2004 Athen Olympics champion badminton legend Taufik Hidayat, chief coach of Indian team Pullela Gopichand, members of the historic Thomas Cup-winning team.
“This National Centre of Excellence was a dream. It has been a journey of seven long years and I am delighted that today we not only have the finest excellence centre in India but one of the best in the world too.
"What is even more heartening is that this will be part of Assam’s legacy and will revolutionise sports history of the region,” BAI President Sarma said.
An MoU was signed between BAI and the Government of Assam during the ceremony.
The NCE boasts of 16 courts designed to meet rigorous training needs of 60 athletes in phase 1.
In addition, the centre features a 4,000 square feet gymnasium with modern fitness equipment, 60-bed hostel for players and a dedicated 2,000sqft physiotherapy center.
“Indian badminton has seen an impressive rise in recent times with its players consistently winning medals at the international circuit,” Taufik said.
“This centre comes at the right time as it will take Indian badminton to a new height altogether and undoubtedly produce champions with such world-class infrastructure.”
Spread across 40,000 square feet, the jam-packed stadium also witnessed top Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Dhruv Kapila playing an exhibition match.
