Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen concluded their European tour on a high note by securing the women’s and men’s singles titles at the Hylo Open in Saarbrücken, Germany.
However, the triumph comes amidst revelations that Indian shuttlers were forced to self-fund their expenses across the four-tournament European swing after official government funding failed to materialize.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) did not release financial support for the European leg, which covered tournaments in Finland, Denmark, France, and Germany. Players were informed of the funding freeze just days before the Arctic Open commenced in Vantaa on October 6, leaving them to manage travel, food, and accommodation costs out of pocket.
Players Bear Financial and On-Court Challenges
The lack of government funding directly impacted the athletes’ logistics and on-court support during the tour:
- Self-Funded Logistics: While the Badminton Association of India (BAI) covered accommodation for the opening event in Finland, players paid for their own lodging, meals, and travel for the remainder of the tour.
- Absence of Personal Coaches: Due to budget constraints, several shuttlers competed without their coaches. Ashmita Chaliha had teammate Isharani Baruah in her corner during her French Open run, while Tanvi Sharma played without a coach at the Denmark Open.
PV Sindhu Expresses Shock Over Funding Issues
Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, who also reached the French Open final during the leg, expressed her surprise over the situation:
“When I got to know, I was a bit shocked and wondered how the funding hadn’t gone through. I hadn’t faced something like that before. But at that point, I couldn’t really decide that if there was no funding, I wouldn’t play. For me, the priority was to participate and focus on what I needed to do. I managed the funding on my own a bit and OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) also helped me in this.”
SAI Clarifies Procedural Delays
Addressing concerns that the withdrawal was tied to India’s performance at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, SAI officials clarified that the decision was purely administrative. SAI stated that the proposal was not submitted by the BAI within the mandatory 30-day pre-tournament window.
While SAI confirmed that funding for future international tournaments has been restored, it stated that players will not receive retrospective reimbursements for expenses incurred during the European swing.
