Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen ended their European campaign with singles titles at the Hylo Open in Germany. But behind the victories was a funding setback that left several Indian shuttlers paying their own expenses across four tournaments.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) did not release funding for the Indian contingent’s European tour, which included tournaments in Finland, Denmark, France and Germany. According to a report by The Indian Express, players were informed of the decision only days before the Arctic Open began in Finland on October 6.
Sindhu, who also reached the French Open final during the tour, said she was surprised by the development. The Olympic medallist managed some expenses herself, while Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), which supports Indian athletes, also helped her.
“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,” Sindhu told The Indian Express.
She said her priority was to continue competing and focus on improving her performance, despite the uncertainty over financial support.
The funding shortfall reportedly left players responsible for much of their travel, food and accommodation expenses during the European swing.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) had reportedly informed players that accommodation would be arranged for the opening tournament in Finland. For the remaining events, however, players were expected to cover their own expenses.
The financial strain also affected players’ coaching support. Some shuttlers travelled without their regular coaches because they could not afford the additional costs.
At the French Open, Ashmita Chaliha had fellow player Isharani Baruah in her corner when she defeated world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi. Tanvi Sharma also competed without a coach during the Denmark Open.
The situation affected the size of India’s contingent as the tour progressed. Six players withdrew from the Denmark Open, seven from the French Open and nine from the Hylo Open, according to The Indian Express.
The funding decision prompted questions within Indian badminton, with some officials suspecting it could be linked to India’s performance at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
India failed to win an individual badminton medal at the continental event for the first time since 2014.
However, a senior SAI official denied that the funding decision was related to the team’s Asian Games results. The official told The Indian Express that the funding was not released because the Badminton Association of India had failed to submit its proposal within the required timeline.
SAI’s revised guidelines require national federations to submit funding proposals, including the names of participating players, at least 30 days before a tournament.
The deadline was previously 90 days for proposals without player names and 60 days for those with names. The timeline was revised after federations reportedly said the earlier deadlines were difficult to meet.
The SAI official said the required proposal had not been received within the revised 30-day deadline.
The official also said funding support for upcoming tournaments would be restored, but players would not be reimbursed for the expenses they incurred during the European campaign.
Despite the funding uncertainty, Indian players delivered notable performances across the European circuit.
Sindhu reached the final of the French Open, where she lost to South Korea’s An Se-young. Chaliha registered a significant win over Yamaguchi, while Anmol Kharb reached the semi-finals of the Hylo Open.
The final tournament in Germany brought the biggest results for India.
Lakshya Sen won the men’s singles title, ending a year-long wait for a tournament victory. Sindhu claimed the women’s singles crown, securing her second title of the year.
It was the first time since 2017 that Sindhu had won two BWF World Tour titles at Super 500 level or above in a calendar year. Her Hylo Open victory also improved her prospects of qualifying for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals and helped her return to world No. 6.
Sindhu said the funding uncertainty had not changed her approach to the tournaments.
“For me, the focus was on how I could improve my performance. That was the most important thing at the end of the day. See, these things keep happening, but they shouldn’t stop us,” she said, as per a report in India Today.
The episode has highlighted the administrative and financial challenges faced by athletes competing on the international circuit.
While SAI has attributed the non-release of funds to the federation’s failure to meet the proposal deadline, the resulting expenses were borne by players during a demanding four-tournament campaign.
The funding support is reportedly set to resume for upcoming competitions. However, the players will not receive reimbursement for the costs incurred during the European tour.
For Sindhu and Sen, the campaign ended with titles. For several other Indian shuttlers, it also meant navigating international competition without the financial and coaching support they had expected.
Sources: India Today, The Indian Express, Indulge Express.
