Why convert growing badminton popularity into an 'inclusive sports opportunity'

By Sudhansu R Das 

Over the years badminton has become the second most popular game in the world after soccer.  Today, nearly 220 million people across the world play badminton.  The game has become very popular in urban India after India won medals in various international badminton tournaments.  One will come across a badminton court in every one kilometer radius of Hyderabad.  

New badminton courts are coming up in big and small cities of India as people from all age groups love this game.  The former Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Pattnaik has constructed 90 indoor stadiums with badminton courts in different districts. The growing popularity of badminton in India can be converted into an opportunity to win more medals at the international tournaments.

So far India has not won an Olympic gold medal in badminton. PV Sindhu (photo) won one silver and one bronze in the Olympic games while Saina Nehwal (photo) won an Olympic bronze medal. In the World Championship also, India has won a single gold medal. India’s total medal tally in all the International tournaments has reached 17.   The nation with 142 crore people needs to create the right environment to improve its medal tally in the Olympic and the World Championship tournaments.

The game badminton should be inclusive so that the children of poor and middle class families could afford to play;  it will build a far wider talent pool in the country.  Being a huge country, India should have more young players in their teens and early 20s to substitute the ageing players.  Tough breed, talent, transparency in selection process and training are the basic requirements for winning medals at the highest level.  

“The career scope in badminton is bright,” said Surinder, senior badminton coach who trains  children in Kompally of Hyderabad, since it is an individual game, a sincere and talented player can make a successful career.” Inclusive opportunities, infrastructures and motivation create good players. 

“Sincerity, discipline and hard work are the basic ingredients to make a career in badminton,” said Welson, the Badminton coach of Hyderabad.  Basic requirements like coaching, quality badminton courts and equipment should be made available at an affordable cost. Duck and goose farms should be established in India to meet the growing demand of feather shuttles. 

From April 2019 to March 2021, India imported shuttlecocks worth Rs 122 crore from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the UK, says a report of the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Government of India. It is very essential to make shuttlecocks in India for the development of the badminton sport.

Feather shuttles are made by plucking feathers from live geese or ducks. The painful process of plucking feathers from the live birds can be changed by using the latest medical applications. 

Being the fastest growing economy, India should acquire the advanced technology to manufacture good quality feather shuttles. Young players should get feather shuttles at a subsidized rate so that they could prepare for the international tournaments. The import duty and GST on the feather shuttles should be reduced to the minimum.  

Today the majority of players in India use plastic shuttles because the plastic shuttles are durable and affordable. But, the plastic shuttle won’t improve the game because the shuttles move in uniform speed and do not have a classic perpendicular drop at the base line like Yonex feather shuttle. Players after reaching a certain level should practice in feather shuttles only.  

A team of researchers, under the stewardship of Prof.  Sanjay Mittal, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT, Kanpur did extensive research on shuttlecock technology. The team has stated in their research paper “Computational analysis of the fluid–structure interactions of a synthetic badminton shuttlecock' that the synthetic cocks can have the flight and drop of the feather shuttles. 

"Our study opens up the possibility for improved designs that make the nylon shuttlecock structurally stiffer so that it more closely mimics the aerodynamic performance of feather shuttlecocks," said Mittal. "This could be a game-changer, literally."  This will not only end the supply crunch of badminton shuttles but will make the badminton shuttles cheaper.  

Though Yonex is a Japanese company, 90% of Yonex shuttles are made in China and India buys them at a high price. The growing demand for Yonex shuttles should encourage the Union Government to negotiate with Yonex company for establishing a unit in India.

Many senior players look for coaching as a career option after retirement.  The problem before the coaches is that the majority of their students after reaching 18 years leave the game for a better career.  Lack of employment opportunities, risk of injury and the high expenditure involved in pursuing the game discourage children to pursue a badminton career.  

Along with badminton coaching, the children should get quality education and the opportunity to choose professional careers; both public and private sectors should have player quotas to recruit badminton players.  

Coaches should get free health insurance cover; private hospitals should treat badminton coaches at a minimum cost as a part of their community social responsibility.  Besides, the coaches should get government run badminton courts at a minimum fee so that they could continue their coaching. 

Badminton coaches and their students should also get a free bus pass to travel within the state. They have given their entire youth to bring glory to the state;  it is the responsibility of the state to take care of them and use their services to groom young talents.

Both public and private sector organizations should necessarily sponsor young talents from the CSR fund; they should start sponsoring players below 13 years.  Children between seven and 12 acquire badminton skills very fast; these are the crucial years for a young player.  Parents spend an average Rs 30,000 per month on a child for badminton coaching which covers diet, travelling, lodging and equipment.  

Children from lower and middle class families find it difficult to pursue badminton as a career.  “It is very difficult to meet the badminton expenditure of children over and above their education expenses,” said Suresh, the veteran badminton coach of Hyderabad who is three time state champion in badminton singles and doubles tournament under 35 years veteran category.  

An inclusive opportunity in urban centers will create a larger talent pool in the country which will be the stepping stone for winning medals at the Olympic and World Championship tournaments.  Young players need not come to big cities for badminton coaching; they can hone their skills in their home towns also.  Along with badminton infrastructure, the government should create employment opportunities so that players after retirement can earn a minimum Rs 50,000 per month.

Keeping in view of the influence of smart phones, drugs and spurious western culture, the government in every state should build community playgrounds and affordable indoor badminton courts so that the children from all income groups can play badminton. It is the responsibility of the state to protect children from the devastating impact of smart phones, violent cinemas and spurious western culture; it should be the priority of both central and the state government.  India deserves more medals and glory in big tournaments.