IDBI Federal Life Insurance Quest for Excellence (QFE), in association with Pullela Gopi Chand Academy, announced the YoungChamps initiative to help players (under-10) to showcase their badminton skills via a two-minute video. The contest winners will train at the Hyderabad-based Gopi Chand Academy after a selection process and the contest closes on December 28.
The video must be shot in daylight and clear. Parents can submit their children’s entry by using the QFE Facebook and Twitter page. Entry is free and will be accepted for three weeks.
P. Gopi Chand, the National coach and programme head, QFE project, said: “We hope to bring to the fore the hidden talent in India and prepare them for bigger leagues. I request parents to upload their kids’ videos and give them a chance to show talent.”
Vighnesh Shahane, CEO, IDBI Federal Life Insurance, said: “QFE was primarily conceived with the idea of supporting India’s quest for a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. We thought it’s going to be great if we could launch a nationwide initiative to identify emerging talent and bring it to Gopi Chand’s attention. We want this initiative to be a launch pad for the stars of tomorrow.”
‘A great year for Indians’
Gopi expressed happiness at the performance of Indian shuttlers this year and termed Kidambi Srikanth’s feat of winning four Super Series titles as “phenomenal”.
“It’s been a great year. I think all the players have done well. At the beginning of the year if you had said this is what you would get this year, I would have taken it very happily.”
“In the big events — World Championships or Super Series — we have done well. Last year was, may be, (P.V.) Sindhu’s year. This year, men’s singles has come off well. Three of them winning Super Series titles, winning GP gold level — (H.S.) Prannoy and Sameer (Verma) winning. Overall it has been a good year. Now hoping for a good finish in Dubai (Super Series finals),” he added.
“We have a pretty cramped calendar at the world level. Considering that, what we have been able to manage has been good. It’s a good stepping stone for the next year as well,” Gopi said.
“To win four Super Series titles and becoming runner-up in one and at the end of the year, reaching the World No. 2 ranking is phenomenal. Not many in world badminton have achieved this. The only players who have achieved what he has achieved — we call them legends of the sport across time,” said Gopi about Srikanth’s brilliant run this year.
“He’s 24 and has many more years to compete. (With) Lee Chong Wei at 34 and Lin Dan at 33 (still playing), we can expect that he has 8-10 years of badminton left in him. What he can achieve, considering his potential, is unbelievable.”
Fine display
Gopi said it was a fine display by Sindhu to maintain such high level a year after the the Rio Olympics.
“Sindhu has been good — Super Series wins in the India Open and Korea and finals of the Super Series in Hong Kong and the World Championships silver. To come back after an Olympic year and perform like that in the next and finish off as World No. 2 is good. She had problems with Carolina Marin, she beat her and with Akane Yamaguchi, and she beat her too. She is improving as a player. I believe, next year could be even better. She is just 22 and has a lot of potential.”
On Saina Nehwal, a bronze medallist in the 2012 London Games and who has moved back to Hyderabad from Bengaluru after the Worlds, Gopi said she is showing what she is capable of after her injury during the Olympics.
“We will have to work on a few aspects of her game. It’s nice that in the last few tournaments she has had good performances — beating Marin after a while and the match against Chen Yufei. She needs to be fitter and also get back from her injury as well as ensure she is physically stronger to win match after match,” said the coach.
“Every two years we have these big events — whether it’s Commonwealth Games, Asian Games or the Olympics. We are hoping we will come out strongly. In 2014, there were good performances and hopefully we can better them.”
