Pullela Gopichand explains statement advising youngsters to avoid sport as career unless rich: 'Be careful, think twice'
1 month ago

Pullela Gopichand explains statement advising youngsters to avoid sport as career unless rich: 'Be careful, think twice'

Firstpost  

Badminton legend and Dronacharya Award-recipient Pullela Gopichand had recently advised aspiring athletes in India to avoid taking up sport as a career unless they came from a well off background. Badminton legend Pullela Gopichand added that it was difficult for him to see athletes struggle to make a decent living after dedicating their lives to sport. PTI Badminton legend Pullela Gopichand’s recent statement advising young Indians to not pursue a career in sport unless they came from a wealthy background led to raised eyebrows. Gopichand added that he was ultimately advising aspiring athletes coming from a humble background to be more careful and “think twice” before taking up sport as a profession.

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History of this topic

Beyond the game: Opportunities to excel in allied sports careers while balancing academics
2 days, 16 hours ago

Beyond the game: Opportunities to excel in allied sports careers while balancing academics

The Hindu  

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras admitted five Athletes with national accomplishments under its Sports Excellence Admission category for the academic year 2024-2025. The need for support: A coach’s perspective Kavi Arasan, a badminton coach who runs Arkha Sports and Fitness Centre in Chennai, draws attention to the balance between sports and academics. Mr. Arasan also notes that emerging fields …

India will struggle to become a sporting nation unless we integrate sports and education, says Kumble
2 weeks, 5 days ago

India will struggle to become a sporting nation unless we integrate sports and education, says Kumble

The Hindu  

Former India captain Anil Kumble stated that India will struggle to become a sporting nation unless it manages to successfully integrate sports and education. The leg-spinning legend was speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between TENVIC Sports, an organisation co-founded by Kumble and former international table tennis player Vasanth Bharadwaj, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education in …

Pullela Gopichand Interview: India’s Flawed Sporting Scene Needs Urgent Reforms
3 weeks ago

Pullela Gopichand Interview: India’s Flawed Sporting Scene Needs Urgent Reforms

The Quint  

When I speak about having an exit plan, I want to have an exit plan at all levels. You don’t know how to plan things for the next 60 years of your life, considering you’ll be living 90. You don't have anything to back you up for the next eight years, and 60 years of your life are still left! …

First Sports Exclusive | 99 per cent of those who take up sport fail without an exit strategy, says P Gopichand
3 weeks, 1 day ago

First Sports Exclusive | 99 per cent of those who take up sport fail without an exit strategy, says P Gopichand

Firstpost  

Badminton legend and national coach Pullela Gopichand had recently courted controversy for stating that only those who hail from affluent backgrounds should take up sport as a profession. Gopichand, who had become only the second Indian to win the prestigious All England Championship in 2001, said that “99 per cent” of those who take up sport as a profession fail …

CWG champion P. Kashyap expresses support for Gopichand’s comments on middle-class taking up sport
1 month ago

CWG champion P. Kashyap expresses support for Gopichand’s comments on middle-class taking up sport

The Hindu  

Former Commonwealth Games badminton champion Parupalli Kashyap has expressed support for Pullela Gopichand’s recent comments on the challenges faced by middle-class families, emphasising that his coach’s remarks accurately reflect the harsh realities of India’s sporting ecosystem. Kashyap pointed out that the lack of a safety net for athletes, who don’t reach the top, is a significant issue and described Gopichand’s …

Gopichand stands by 'don't let your child pursue sport' remark, explains reason
1 month ago

Gopichand stands by 'don't let your child pursue sport' remark, explains reason

India Today  

Pullela Gopichand, the former India badminton player turned coach, sparked significant controversy with a comment about pursuing sports in India. In an interview with *The Times of India*, Gopichand stated that children in India cannot realistically pursue sports unless their parents are financially well-off. "Being in sports has been a long journey, and I’ve witnessed everything—from hardworking players to dedicated …

Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath reacts to Pullela Gopichand’s ‘rich’ remark, says ‘if someone is passionate about sports...’
1 month ago

Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath reacts to Pullela Gopichand’s ‘rich’ remark, says ‘if someone is passionate about sports...’

Live Mint  

Online brokerage platform Zerodha's Chief Executive Officer Nithin Kamath said that there are more career alternatives today for people who are passionate about sports, reacting to national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand's view of not letting children pursue sports unless someone is “rich”, according to a social media post on X. “While I understand Pullela Gopichand's concern that 'Unless you are …

'I have a different view': Nithin Kamath on Pullela Gopichand’s ‘sports is for the rich’ remark
1 month ago

'I have a different view': Nithin Kamath on Pullela Gopichand’s ‘sports is for the rich’ remark

Hindustan Times  

Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath recently took to X to express his views on Indian badminton national coach Pullela Gopichand’s statement: "Unless you are rich, don't make your child a sportsperson." Nithin Kamath shared a different view on X about Pullela Gopichand’s statement, arguing that sports now offer more career options beyond professional play. "While I understand Pullela Gopichand's concern that …

Athletes deserve a future beyond saluting bureaucrats, says Gopichand
1 month ago

Athletes deserve a future beyond saluting bureaucrats, says Gopichand

The Hindu  

India’s chief badminton coach Pullela Gopichand on Wednesday called for respect for sportspersons after retirement, saying athletes deserve more than “saluting bureaucrats” after dedicating everything to the country during their playing days. While sport is now seen as a viable career path in India, Gopichand highlighted a pressing issue: what happens to athletes who dedicate their lives to sports but …

Tokyo 2020: National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand expects rich haul of medals from Indian contingent
3 years, 8 months ago

Tokyo 2020: National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand expects rich haul of medals from Indian contingent

India Today  

National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand is hopeful that the Indian contingent will return with a rich haul of medals from the Tokyo Olympics, starting from July 23. I hope that we get enough medals, so they give a boost in the arm to us," said Gopichand, during a webinar on 'Tokyo Olympics - India's Journey and Expectations' organised by the …

Gopichand: Badminton in India looks well poised
4 years, 8 months ago

Gopichand: Badminton in India looks well poised

The Hindu  

The inspiring success of P. V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal at the global level has made badminton the most flourishing sport in India in the last decade, national chief coach Pullela Gopichand said on Sunday. Gopichand said when he started coaching in 2004 with 25 trainees, including Sindhu, Saina and Kidambi Srikkanth in Hyderabad, nobody thought India would produce such …

Firstpost Masterclass: 'Badminton is high-speed chess in motion,' Pullela Gopichand deconstructs the sport
4 years, 8 months ago

Firstpost Masterclass: 'Badminton is high-speed chess in motion,' Pullela Gopichand deconstructs the sport

Firstpost  

What is the correct stance in badminton? I think it is extremely important to know which shots to play when, but in a match scenario, players’ natural intelligence takes over. Sometimes you dent the confidence of a player so much that even if he/she is good enough to beat you, his/her mind doesn’t think that you can be beaten. I …

Gopichand calls for promotion of local sports and culture
4 years, 8 months ago

Gopichand calls for promotion of local sports and culture

The Hindu  

Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said it was not sensible to follow the western model blindly to produce world beaters and Olympic champions. Speaking at a webinar conducted by SAI-LNCPE on Thursday, Gopichand said the Western model was expensive and impractical in a country like India. The former All-England champion said there was a need to promote sports which …

Time to focus on physical education, says Gopichand
4 years, 10 months ago

Time to focus on physical education, says Gopichand

The Hindu  

India’s chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand feels the COVID-19 lockdown is the right time to focus on physical education and make everyone realise that sports is a priority. Speaking during an online interaction, organised by ELMS Sports Foundation and the Reliance Foundation on Thursday with renowned Physical Literacy expert Margaret Whitehead, Head of WHO Collaborating Centre for Policy Research …

Athlete-centric funding doesn’t benefit sport: Gopichand
4 years, 10 months ago

Athlete-centric funding doesn’t benefit sport: Gopichand

The Hindu  

National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand on Tuesday said the current athlete-centric model of funding doesn’t benefit sport and there is a need to look at supporting a group rather than individuals to produce more champions. The number two and three should be constantly pushing the number one.” Talking about the importance of coaches in the sporting ecosystem, Gopichand said: “You …

Make sport a serious career option: Sunil Gavaskar
5 years, 6 months ago

Make sport a serious career option: Sunil Gavaskar

The Hindu  

For India to become a multi-sport nation, it was crucial to make each sport a serious career option, felt cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar. But there are three important things -- to make sports affordable, to make it part of the school curriculum and the most important thing to make it a very serious career option. If you just play Ranji …

Youngsters can select sport as career, says Tendulkar
7 years, 1 month ago

Youngsters can select sport as career, says Tendulkar

The Hindu  

A day after Mumbai ended a futile domestic season, former India captain Sachin Tendulkar stressed on the fact that T20 Mumbai League is the need of the hour for Mumbai cricket. The Bharat Ratna also exuded confidence in the changing sports landscape in India, saying the sprawling leagues across disciplines has resulted in sport being a viable career option. During …

Pullela Gopichand claims India on brink of badminton revolution, credits success to focus on fitness
7 years, 8 months ago

Pullela Gopichand claims India on brink of badminton revolution, credits success to focus on fitness

Firstpost  

Gopichand has nurtured the talent of players like Kidambi Srikanth, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, HS Prannoy and B. Sai Praneeth who have performed well in the past couple of years. Mumbai: India stands on the brink of a badminton revolution but the sport’s foundations need to be strengthened if the country hopes to emulate mighty neighbours China, national coach Pullela …

The game must go on
8 years ago

The game must go on

Deccan Chronicle  

Once a sport, always one, they say. Laxman, badminton biggie Pullela Gopichand and tennis ace Sania Mirza’s academies in their respective sporting disciplines are pointers to the maxim — the game must go on. “It’s really wonderful that sport is doing well and all sportspersons are giving back something to the game, which is very much needed. It’s truly a …

Champ-making factory: A peek into Pullela Gopichand’s academy
8 years, 7 months ago

Champ-making factory: A peek into Pullela Gopichand’s academy

Hindustan Times  

The city of Nizams was busy counting sheep. Former All England Badminton champion Pullela Gopichand at his academy in Hyderabad On the other side of a large glass pane separating a hall that houses eight badminton courts with an office, a lean, muscular man in black shorts and a colourful jacket stood on a wooden box unleashing quick-fire missiles of …

Building a sports career: Off-the-field opportunities, sports scholarships and role of parents
8 years, 7 months ago

Building a sports career: Off-the-field opportunities, sports scholarships and role of parents

India Today  

In India, the domain of sports is largely unexplored by many. Encouraging your child to purse their passion brings out in them the drive to over-perform and excel in that field as a professional endeavor Allow them to try out as many different sports as possible before they land on the activity that suits them best Once they find their …

Indian parents don't see sports as profession: Srk
12 years, 2 months ago

Indian parents don't see sports as profession: Srk

India TV News  

Mumbai, Jan 18: Demonstrating true sportsman's spirit and enthusiasm, superstar Shah Rukh Khan backs sports as a profession. "Parents will always be wary of sports as a profession and I don't see why they should not be.Parents will have to see that there is a job opportunity here," he said at the launch of Toyota university cricket championship held here …

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