Pullela Gopichand is the second Indian to win the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championship (2001). A former Olympian, he coached Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu to Olympic success.Honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1999, Gopichand is often called the ‘Dronacharya of Indian Badminton.’ Since 2004, he has been running an academy in Hyderabad, where players like Srikanth Kidambi, Parupalli Kashyap, H.S. Prannoy, Sai Praneeth, and Sameer Verma have trained and brought glory to India.In this episode of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Gopichand addresses the controversy around his remark that "only the rich should play sports." He clarifies that his concern is about the lack of support for athletes after retirement. He points out that while one in a hundred may reach the top, the rest need a safety net.He also talks about how the government can do more to support athletes, the evolution of sports in India, and what it takes to create champions. He also discusses the impact of social media trolling on athletes’ mental health and the reality behind sports quota jobs.00:00 - Introduction00:49 - ‘Sports are for the Rich’ Controversy08:05 - Securing an Athlete’s Future13:44 - Post-Career Support for Athletes19:54 - Wealth Disparity in Sports25:27 - Government’s Role in Athlete Welfare25:49 - Struggles of Athletes28:04 - From Badminton Player to Coach36:42 - How Sports Have Evolved40:50 - Best Sports Choices for Kids44:11 - Coaching Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu48:08 - Bias in Coaching53:16 - Dealing with Social Media Trolling54:58 - An Athlete’s Diet: What It Takes58:11 - Southeast Asian vs. European Players01:01:25 - PM’s Role in Sports Development01:02:48 - Sports Career Options: Then vs. Now01:07:19 - Sports Quota Jobs

Ver todos los episodios