Pullela Gopichand: With the kind of infrastructure here, Noida players will go a long way

As a badminton player, Pullela Gopichand became the second Indian to win the All England Open, one of the game’s most prestigious tournaments. As a coach, he has overseen the development of the current crop of ace Indian shuttlers, including Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. Gopichand, who is currently the coach of the Indian badminton team, was in Delhi recently to finalise the formalities for his upcoming badminton academy in Greater Noida.He spoke to us about where the city’s sporting infrastructure ranks and his hopes of seeing an Olympic champion from the city.
Gopichand says that Noida’s victory lies in the fact that the city not only sees international sporting events, but also an increasing number of kids taking up sports in the various academies here. He elaborates, “The main focus should be on more kids picking up the sport, which is helped by the availability and reach of good sporting facilities.”
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"That is where the infrastructure of Noida and Greater Noida is commendable when it comes to sports, because they have not just managed to get international athletes and teams to play here, but also managed to encourage more youngsters to take up different sports. For that, I’d say a lot of credit goes to the administration here. I’m sure that in time, it will rank among cities with the best sporting infrastructure in the country. The important thing is that the players here are also enthusiastic, which means they will make good use of this infrastructure," says Gopichand.
Seven of Gopichand’s proteges will be participating in the Rio Olympics later this month, with names like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Parupalli Kashyap being strong medal contenders. The coach says that if Noida keeps up the pace of its sporting development, the day is not far when the city will see its own home-grown Olympians. He says, "I think infrastructure-building is only one aspect of creating champions. The real challenge is after that, when we see what kind of support we give to the coaching staff, because that depends on how motivated they are and in turn, how hard they can push the players. With the kind of initiative and impetus I’m seeing from bodies like the Greater Noida Authority and also with the kind of infrastructure available, I’m confident that the players from Noida will go a long way, hopefully represent India in the Olympics and maybe even win medals."