JOIN USBadminton Association of India is planning a system that could provide more opportunities to the second rung shuttlers in the country, according to National coach Pullela Gopichand.
“We are planning a system which gives more chance to the second rung players. But the planning is in the initial stages,” said Gopichand, who was at the KBA to attend the BAI’s development committee meeting on Sunday.
“We have two group of players now with the top players who have plenty to play for while the second rung players who are deprived of top level competitions,” pointed out the former All England champion.
Apart from Gopichand, BAI vice-presidents Pradeep S Gandhe, who is the chairman of development committee, and TPS Puri, BAI committee member Anil Choughule, former national coach U Vimal Kumar and badminton legend Prakash Padukone, who was a special invitee, attended the meeting here. “The discussion was mainly on how we can spread the game to grass root level,” said Gandhe.
Gandhe said the committee will submit a report recommending the BAI for giving additional incentives to shuttlers, providing more international exposure, increasing the prize money of tournaments and launching more training centres in the country.
Meanwhile, Bangalore will host the All India Junior (U-17 & U-19) ranking tournament from July 5-10 and Sub-junior (U-13 & U-15) ranking meet from September 18-23.
The Senior Nationals will be held at Srinagar from September 26 to October 3 with BAI advancing the meet from its traditional January window as the temperature during the start of the year in Jammu and Kashmir will not be conducive for conducting the meet.