Indian badminton star H.S. Prannoy expressed satisfaction at the decision by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to include badminton coach Mohammed Siyadath Ullah in the Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS). The move was taken as part of government efforts to assist preparation of national teams and national players.
"Siyadath (ullah) has been one of the main coaches for the last couple of years and has been travelling with us most of the time, because Gopi Sir (P Gopichand) cannot travel for major tournaments (due to commitments)," said Prannoy, who was in Mumbai for noted badminton coach Uday Pawar's badminton workshop.
"Park Tae Sang (South Korea) has also joined. After Gopi Sir and Park, Siyadath has been around and it was very important for him to be in TOPS scheme. We are going to travel a lot this year, it is crucial to get the funding and have the main coach along for each and every tournament," he added.
Prannoy along with fellow badminton player Sameer Verma, Kidambi Srikanth submitted a joint proposal to be included in the scheme. Physical trainer S .R Ganesh has also been cleared for inclusion in the government scheme and Prannoy said that is was crucial to get the funding.
"Ganesh has been working with us for a long time, his presence is useful.”
Prannoy alongside compatriots B. Sai Praneeth, Sameer Verma, Parupalli Kashyap will leave for Sydney to take part in the Australian Open beginning on June 4. Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu will be the lone Indian in the women's singles main draw.
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