India’s stars are a threat to some of the best in the badminton world. And ever since P.V. Sindhu struck silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, others believe they can emulate her.
Badminton World Federation (BWF) secretary-general Thomas Lund has seen them all at close quarters. “India has always had great players and their development systems continue to be efficient in producing high-quality talent,” he said. “I’m sure that when we get to the Olympics in 2021, their team will be ready to achieve great results.”
Star Creation Programme
The BWF, in a bid to further boost badminton, has partnered with leading digital and social consultancy agency Seven League to deliver its `Star Creation Programme’, designed to increase the global popularity of both the players and the sport.
Five leading athletes, including India’s Ashwini Ponnappa, graduated from phase one of the pilot programme.
“The team helped me understand the importance of social media and interacting with fans,” said Ashwini. “I loved the creative ideas that were shared and I have definitely enjoyed posting and being more open about sharing things.”
The second batch, which includes Chirag Shetty and Sikki Reddy, has begun its weekly sessions.
