New Delhi: World champion shuttler PV Sindhu believes foreign coaches would be difficult to hire in a post COVID-19 world. She said that former India internationals should use the opportunity to step forward and fill in the void.
Opportunity for formers
“If the global pandemic continues, bringing coaches from abroad might become difficult. There are a lot of good players in our country who have played at international level. We can use them in a coaching capacity,” PV Sindhu said Tuesday while speaking during a webinar.
The Olympic silver medallist was addressing the newly-appointed assistant directors of SAI through an online session.
Role of coaches and administrators
Sindhu stressed on the importance of parents, coaches and administrators working as a team to build up a champion.
“The administrators must know the journey of every sportsperson. The future of Indian sports lies in the hands of young sports administrators like all of you,” said Sindhu.
“You must visit all the SAI regional centres and be aware of the performances from the players and be in touch with their parents. The parents’ involvement is a lot and you need to take feedback from them. This feedback needs to be monitored,” asserted the World Champion shuttler.
“You must also understand how the SAI coaching system works. You have to see if athletes are receiving the right diet and supplements,” Sindhu added.
The 24-year-old Sindhu also said ‘players must be continuously tracked to avoid age fraud’.
Contribution of parents
Sindhu also stressed on the need to acknowledge the contributions made by parents in the success of athletes. “Before the Rio Olympics we shifted to the academy. My mother gave up her job to care for me. My father took two years leave from his job,” she informed.
“The challenge was recovering from the injury I suffered in 2015. I used to stay and play in the academy. I had to play 23 tournaments in a year to qualify for the Olympics. My father taking leave from his service really helped me,” informed the shuttler.
Sindhu complimented the government for schemes such as ‘Khelo India’. She felt such schemes prop up various sports from the grassroot level and urged other organisations to do the same.
Importance of studies
Sindhu also urged budding players to not ignore their studies for a career in badminton. “While you don’t need to go to school every day, you must not skip it altogether,” she signed off.
Agencies