Vimal lashes out at overseas coaches
New Delhi, March 18: Former India badminton coach Vimal Kumar is extremely disappointed with the way Indonesian doubles coach Flandy Limpele left abruptly in an Olympic year and said foreign appointees must be held accountable for departing without completing their tenures.
Limpele, who was hired last March, recently stepped down as India’s doubles coach, citing family reasons, becoming the fourth such foreign coach to have resigned without completing the tenure.
“It was very unfortunate and unprofessional of Flandy to leave this way. When the doubles players had qualified for Olympics and had chances of doing well, to leave in the middle of it, I was disappointed,” Vimal, who served as India’s chief national coach from 2003 to 2006, said.
“I had a long chat with him in January. He had said then that some players were not disciplined but he said he will work with them and then suddenly he left just before All England,” he added.
Earlier, Korean Kim Ji Hyun, who guided P. V. Sindhu to a world championship gold, made an unceremonious exit last September. Renowned Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo also resigned abruptly in late 2017 before joining the Singapore squad. Malaysia’s Tan Kim Her stepped down as India’s doubles coach early last year, 18 months before his tenure was to end.
“I think they have to be made accountable. We need to be very clear that they stick to the group, or the certain number of players that they have to handle. It should be in the contract,” Vimal said.
“We are paying them huge money, so we have to take that responsibility. They just can’t walk off without notice,” he said.
Only four Indian shuttlers — Sindhu, B. Sai Praneeth and men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy — are assured of a spot at the Tokyo Games. There is little hope that Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth will be able to make the cut, especially after Badminton World Federation (BWF) was forced to postpone all events due to the Covid19 pandemic.
It was very unfortunate and unprofessional of Flandy Limpele to leave this way. When the doubles players had qualified for Olympics and had chances of doing well, to leave in the middle of it, I was disappointed.
— VIMAL KUMAR, former Indian badminton coach