The success of badminton star players like P.V. Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth is drawing scores of young enthusiasts and their parents towards badminton in Andhra Pradesh so much so that parents are willing to spend lakhs per year on coaching, said K. Ch. Punnaiah Chowdary, vice-president, Badminton Association of India.
Mr. Punnaiah, speaking on the sidelines of a press conference here on Wednesday, said that badminton has become the most sought-after sport in the State of late.
“There are over 7,800 registered players who actively take part in tournaments. Due to the encouragement of the State and Central governments, parents and associations, a number of children are coming forward to hone their talent in the sport. In fact, badminton can be considered a State sport.
“Some parents are spending ₹10 lakh per year to train their wards at best badminton academies in the State and badminton has become the first preference over education.
Compared to those in metro cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, parents in AP are on the forefront in encouraging their wards,” said Mr. Punnaiah who is also the CEO of AP Badminton Association.
Dearth of international coaches
“We have enough coaches for State and national-level players but none for international players. Post bifurcation, we were left with a single badminton academy, but the government is doing its best in encouraging the sport. There are about 18 private academies across the State and four players from them made it to the national sub-juniors tournament,” Mr. Punniah said.
The Badminton Association of AP has been urging the Sports Authority of India to establish a badminton academy in Visakhapatnam.
