New Delhi, Oct 28 India’s para badminton chief K Prabhakar Rao on Wednesday criticised former head coach Gaurav Khanna for predicting the medal count for the country’s shuttlers a day before the finals at the recently concluded Asian Para Games, saying his comments put the players under psychological pressure.
A day before the para badminton finals on October 23 at the Asian Para Games in Japan, Khanna had posted on social media that India would finish with fewer medals than it had won in the 2022 edition. He wrote that India would win 16 medals, including two gold, six silver and eight bronze. He later deleted the post.
Indian shuttlers ended their campaign with a total of 16 medals, including three gold, five silver and eight bronze.
India had won 21 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 13 bronze) in para badminton in the 2022 edition of the Asian Para Games.
On Tuesday, the players lodged a complaint against Khanna with the Sports Ministry, Sports Authority of India (SAI), Badminton Association of India (BAI) president and secretary general, among others. They sought a formal inquiry and appropriate disciplinary action against him.
Rao, who is also the joint secretary of the BAI, questioned how Khanna could make such remarks when he was no longer part of the Indian team, as that could put the players under psychological pressure.
“The players’ complaint is justified. He (Khanna) is not part of the Indian badminton team, and the authorities must have had their reasons for removing him. When he is no longer part of the team, how can he make a statement a day before the finals, predicting who will win and who will lose?” Rao told PTI.
“He put the players under psychological pressure, which is in a way akin to being anti-national. I am using the term anti-national because he wanted to trouble the players,” he said.
Rao said Khanna, as a former head coach, could offer his views on the players’ performances if asked, but questioned how he could make such statements to unsettle them.
“As a former coach, if you are asked about the players’ performances, you can certainly give your opinion. But how can you make such a statement on your own, that too just before the finals. This was done to put mental pressure on players who are not part of his academy. We believe we missed out on two more gold medals because of him,” he alleged.
Rao condemned attempts to put psychological pressure on players through such public statements.
“We condemn this kind of writing that creates mental pressure among players. His intentions were wrong, and he did this out of frustration,” he said.
Rao said the matter would soon be taken up with the BAI.
Earlier, the players had urged the BAI to take cognisance of the matter, conduct a formal inquiry and initiate appropriate disciplinary action under the relevant rules and code of conduct.
(PTI News)
