No money for travel, food, stay: SAI leaves Indian badminton stars hanging in Europe

PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen ended India’s European badminton campaign on a high by winning the singles titles at the Hylo Open in Germany on Sunday. But behind the success was a funding setback that left several Indian shuttlers paying their own way in a four-tournament European swing.

As reported by The Indian Express, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has not released funds for the Indian contingent’s campaign in Finland, Denmark, France and Germany. Players were informed of the decision just days before the start of the Arctic Open in Vantaa on October 6, leaving little time for alternative arrangements.

Sindhu, who also reached the French Open final earlier in the campaign, said she was surprised to learn that the funding had not been received. The Olympic medalist managed part of the expenses herself.

“When I came to know, I was a bit shocked and wondered how the funding did not go through. I have never come across anything like this,” Sindhu told The Indian Express.

“But at that moment I really couldn’t decide that if the funding wasn’t there, I wouldn’t play. The priority for me was to participate and focus on what I need to do, how I need to play my matches and keep improving. Of course, it was surprising that we couldn’t get the funding, for whatever reason. I managed the funding a little bit on my own and OGQ (Olympic Quest) also helped me in this Gold team.”

PLAYERS FUND THEIR OWN CAMPAIGN

The funding issue reportedly forced the players to take care of travel, food and lodging expenses for most of the tour. While the Badminton Association of India (BAI) told the players that they would arrange accommodation for the inaugural tournament in Finland, they were expected to bear the cost of the remaining events.

The impact was also felt on the court. Some players could not afford to travel with their coaches, so they were without their usual support during matches. Ashmita Chaliha, who defeated world number three Akane Yamaguchi at the French Open, had teammate Isharani Baruah in her corner during the tournament. Tanvi Sharma also competed without a coach at the Denmark Open.

WHY WAS THE FUNDING WITHDRAWN?

The funding decision has raised questions in Indian badminton, with officials suggesting the withdrawal may have been related to the team’s performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. For the first time since 2014, India did not win an individual badminton medal at a continental event.

However, a senior SAI official denied that the decision had anything to do with the results of the Asian Games. An official told The Indian Express that the funds were not released as the BAI did not submit the proposal within the stipulated time.

SAI’s funding guidelines require federations to submit proposals 30 days before the tournament, after the timeline was revised following requests from federations that the earlier 90-day and 60-day deadlines were difficult to meet. According to the official, the requested draft, including the names of the players, was not delivered on time.

Express also informed SAI that funding for the upcoming tournaments has been restored, but players will not be reimbursed for expenses incurred during the European campaign.

Despite the difficulties, the Indian players produced some remarkable results. Sindhu reached the French Open final where she lost to South Korea’s An Se-young, while Chaliha recorded an emphatic win over Yamaguchi. Anmol Kharb also reached the semi-finals of the Hylo Open.

The last week brought the biggest rewards. Lakshya ended her year-long wait for a title by winning the men’s singles in Germany, while Sindhu claimed her second title of the year. It was the first time since 2017 that she won two BWF World Tour titles at the Super 500 level or higher in a calendar year. The win also improved her chances of qualifying for the World Tour Finals and helped her return to No. 6 in the world rankings.

Sindhu said the funding uncertainty has not changed her approach to the tournaments.

“For me, the focus was on how I could improve my performance. That was the most important thing at the end of the day. You see, these things keep happening, but they shouldn’t stop us.”

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