Pullela Gopichand to don role of mentor to coaches after Tokyo Olympics 2020

What’s the story?

Pullela Gopichand, the Chief National Coach of the Indian badminton team, who has been in charge of the affairs for several years now, has announced his decision to play the role of a mentor to the coaches, post the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In case you did not know...

Gopichand became the second Indian after Prakash Padukone to win the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001. Gopichand has been at the forefront of tutoring some of the biggest names in the Indian domestic scenario, most notably having coached Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu towards Olympic medals.

Heart of the matter

Gopichand will be collaborating with the Anup Sridhar Badminton Academy and will mentor the coaches of the Badminton program of The Sports School, which is based in Bengaluru.

"Post the Olympics, I would want to move away and dedicate my time on a mentor role and would be working towards developing the coaches through the coaches programme,” he was quoted as saying to the Times of India.

Gopichand, who runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad informed his decision of making the most of his experience, knowledge, and skill in transforming India into a powerful and influential country in the field of sports.

He also said he would take a keen interest in the development of the sporting infrastructure and in counselling the coaches.

What’s next?

The Sports School is all set to open another branch in the Telangana capital, Hyderabad at the start of 2023. The athletes will benefit a great deal from the school, whose only aim is to mold them into future stars for the country.