Gopichand has conflicting interests, says Ponnappa

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 9

Badminton star Jwala Gutta has often accused chief national coach Pullela Gopichand of keeping her out of the government-funded Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Now, Ashwini Ponnappa, her doubles partner, too has blamed the coach for treating them unfairly.

Launching a scathing attack on Gopichand and the Sports Ministry, Ponnappa said there hadn't been any communication from the TOPS committee about their inclusion in the scheme. The Bengaluru-based shuttler is so incensed with the government apathy that she, along with Gutta, is contemplating writing to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to intervene in the TOPS committee's decision to keep them out of the scheme.

“Yes, we are looking at that aspect. Both Jwala and I have been subjected to step-motherly treatment. We have no access to specialised physiotherapist, mental trainer and sports psychologist. Despite that, we are performing so well. The lack of government funding is hurting our Rio chances. It looks like they don't think we can win a medal at Rio,” Ponnappa told The Tribune.

“We won the Canada Open and the Commonwealth Games medal and are currently world No. 10 in the doubles rankings. The Ministry's support through the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) is not enough to prepare for the Olympics. We need a scheme like TOPS to win a medal at Rio,” she said.

Her anger stems from the fact that while five shuttlers, who are part of the TOPS funding, are from Hyderabad-based Gopichand Badminton Academy, Jwala and she had been asked by the Ministry to list out their achievements. “There were some talks that Ministry was including us in the TOPS. But despite waiting for so long, nothing has happened. There hasn't been any kind of communication from the Ministry. They haven't sent us the TOPS contract. If the government thinks that only singles players are medal contenders, then it's very demoralising and demotivating for us,” she said.

While Ponappa accused Gopichand of excluding them from the TOPS, she said it was a clear case of conflict of interest when the coach selected players from his own academy for the TOPS as well as the national side. “There's a serious conflict of interest. He is the chief national coach, and he also runs an academy from where a majority of the players are getting selected. What are his priorities — coaching the academy players or discharging his duties as a national coach? I haven't said that before but it's time to have a separate National Centre where shuttlers from different parts of the country can come together as national team players, not as players from the same academy,” she said.

The 25-year-old shuttler said that it would be difficult for the pair to train under new doubles coach Tan Kim Her if the Malaysian was based out of the Gopichand academy. “The government has hired him to train players like us, but we have heard that he will be operating from Gopichand's academy. It would be really difficult for us to train at his academy. We would request the Ministry to have him placed at a separate venue,” she said.