Parents call for changes
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has issued a revised list of events as it attempts to restart tournaments following their suspension because of the global coronavirus outbreak, but the parents of some of India’s top players feel there are issues with regard of implementation of safety guidelines.
P. V. Ramana, the father of world champion P. V. Sindhu, said it would be better to have separate training camps for the country’s Olympic hopefuls and not for all the players as has been the case so far.
“That way, a lot of management issues can be easily sorted out to the convenience of one and all. Denitely I am terribly worried about the health of any player. It is not just about Sindhu alone. After all, most of them are sacricing so much for the country’s pride,” said Ramana, and Arjuna Award winner and former international volleyball player.
He also feels the physiotherapist needs to get sanitised “every time he attends to a dierent player, and of course a mask and gloves are compulsory. A physical trainer has to maintain a distance to guide the players. And the coaches too cannot move too closely and have to make their points from a distance,” he said, adding, “More importantly, there are many minor issues like the benches where the players rest between training being sanitised frequently.”
“And, again, serious doubts do arise as to how long it will take for a player to peak in this changed training schedule,” Ramana said.
Krishna Reddy, the father of doubles international N. Sikki Reddy, feels doubles training needs a serious thought to avoid overcrowding at training venues.
“The guidelines may look comforting, but they would denitely mean the players have to adapt to a dierent kind of training schedule, which may take a long time for them to adjust to,” he said.
Chief national badminton coach P. Gopichand said safety measures will be implemented as the players’ health is of utmost importance. “There is no way we are going to be complacent. We will follow the guidelines in letter and spirit for we are conscious of the huge responsibility on us,” he said.
“Obviously, no one wants to be in a spot for any untoward development in this regard,” he added.
The parents of some of India’s top badminton players feel there are issues with regard of implementation of safety guidelines.