New Delhi: Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand has advised Indian parents against putting their children in sports, citing the lack of opportunities and financial struggles after retirement. Gopichand, who is the current national badminton coach of the Indian team, has played a key role in helping Indian badminton reach the level where it stands today.
Several current top Indian shuttles, including the likes of PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth among others, have trained under Gopichand. Some of India’s future badminton stars currently train at the famed Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. However, Gopichand doesn’t feel India is ready yet to offer children sports as a proper career option.
Gopichand, who has played a key role in the rise of Indian badminton in the last decade, feels parents should let their children pursue sports as a career only if they are rich or have a family business which can help their children have a better future after retiring from sports.
“I advise parents not to put their children in sports. We are not in a position to offer sports as a career. Unless the children are from rich backgrounds or have a family business, it is not advisable for children to take up sport,” Gopichand told the Times of India.
Only 1% make it in sports: Gopichand
Former All-England champion Gopichand feels India’s recent growth in Olympic sports and schemes such as Khelo India, TOPS and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) make sports an attractive career option for youngsters from around the country. However, he points out only around 1% of the youngsters end up making big and the rest don’t have a safety net to fall back on once they are hit with the reality.
Gopichand believes cricket as a sport offers better career prospects but it’s not the same for other sports where the options after retirement are fewer. The Dronacharya awardee also shared the plight of hundreds of medal winners from the past, who are not doing great in life and are struggling financially after retiring.
“The reality of sport is that less than 1% of people who take up sport end up having it as a profession or career. In sports like cricket, this number could be marginally better, but in essence, sport would mean that a very small percentage of them make it. Where do we end up? What are the returns of the people who have made it?” said Gopichand.
Gopichand revealed how several Olympic medallists, who made the nation proud at the highest level are currently at the mercy of higher-ranked officers in their respective PSUs after landing a government job to support their families.
“Olympic medallists who work in the Railways, RBI, Income Tax, police or a PSU have a lower rank than a civil servant who gets to reap benefits of his learning till the age of 60. The Olympic medallist who has burned himself out, will have to call the civil servant ‘sir’ or ‘madam’. They are at the mercy of the officer, hoping they will have people who will respect sportspersons who won medals for the country. And you may also find a boss with a negative mindset towards sportspersons,” explained the badminton legend.
Gopichand’s comments come at a time when the Indian government is focusing on improving the sporting infrastructure in India and has also formally bid to host the Olympics in 2036. The badminton legend’s comments paint a star but clear picture of why India is yet to gain prominence as a sporting nation and how athletes need to feel secure about their future before thinking of making it in big in sports for their country.
Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand has advised parents not to let their children pursue sports as a career unless they are rich. Gopichand believes only 1 percent of the children who choose sports as a career are able to make it big. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
