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Ashwini Ponnappa: The Sports Ministry has Not Offered any Financial Backing

ashwini ponnappa and tanisha crasto
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Indian badminton star Ashwini Ponnappa took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to air her grievances and questioned the financial aid she feels has not flowed from the Sports Ministry for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Although the ministry has claimed to provide good financial support, Ashwini revealed that she got little net assistance in terms of personal coaching. Ashwini Ponnappa was stunned by the manner in which Sports Authority of India (SAI) made its statement a few days back.

It stated the support to the Indian athletes for the Paris Olympics were through a group of TOPS, and Ashwini was given INR 4,50,000 (Top) and Rs. ₹1,48,04,080 under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC).

However, a defiant Ashwini on Monday denied these claims, saying that she is grossly underpaid by what was reported immediately.

OLYMPICS 2024 BADMINTON

Image source- https://www.livemint.com

Lack of Personalized Support

One of the key points Ashwini highlighted was the absence of a dedicated coach. She shared that her request for a coach was turned down, and she had to manage without one during her preparation for the Olympics.

Ashwini had paired with Tanisha Crasto from December 2022 and began playing in international tournaments as early as January, last year. She asserts that this really affected her physically as well, not just because of the lack of emotional support from a big organization but when she and her partner worked hard for 8-9 years to make sure their spot was secured in the Paris Olympics.

SAI’s Response

Another source from the SAI, when prompted about her claims by Sportstar, said that the amount ₹1.48 crore mentioned in the document was spent on booking travel to and fro for Ashwini, including stay expenses; food compensation during competitions she participated as a part of Indian team along with competition fee, daily allowance, etc.

The source added that this fund was sanctioned for the Asian Championship Training Camp (ACTC) to the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

Despite this clarification, Ashwini maintained that the financial support was not directly beneficial to her individual needs. She also mentioned that she was only included in the TOPS scheme after qualifying for the Olympics, which came too late to make a significant difference in her preparations.

Reflecting on the Olympics

There were tears in the eyes of Ashwini, who was competing in her third Olympics, when she analyzed not top-notch performance of the India team in Paris. Both she and her partner, Tanisha Crasto, failed to win any of their matches due to an early-stage exit during the group phase.

My game is not up to the mark, coach or no coach; I take responsibility. Ashwini Suzca, however, stresses that the lack of support has affected her a lot in terms of community and performance.

Conclusion

Ponnappa’s revelations also bring to light the difficulties that Indian athletes have to overcome if they are serious about competing at the global Olympic level. The experience of Ashwini underscores the importance of this kind of detail-oriented support, even though she concedes that without it she has probably not made any team in recent times. And as she slogs on in badminton, Ashwini’s candid admission is just another nugget that reiterates how financials alone don’t tell the full tale of an athlete at work.

About Badminton Sport

What are badminton competitions called?  

Matches in badminton are commonly called “tournaments,” which comprise from local ones to internationals ones. 

What is the most famous badminton competition?  

One of the most popular badminton leagues is the All-England Open Badminton Championships.

What is the national badminton competition?  

Under the international level there is usually one or more national championships in each country. 

What are the major tournaments of badminton?  

They are the Olympics, World Championship, All England Open championship, the Thomas Cup, and the Sudirman Cup.

How many levels are there in badminton?  

Just like in other sports, badminton has its plativelons of tournaments that are categorized according to the levels such as BWF World Tour level 1 – Super, a higher priority over those that do not fall under tier-2 events.

Reference link:

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/olympics/we-didnt-even-get-desired-coach-for-olympics-says-ashwini-ponnappa/article68520406.ece

https://www.livemint.com/sports/olympics-news/badminton-star-ashwini-ponnappa-shocked-by-rs-1-5-crore-support-claim-paid-myself-for-personal-trainer-11723615836500.html

https://sports.ndtv.com/badminton/telling-nation-that-i-got-money-is-ridiculous-ashwini-ponnappas-explosive-take-on-sports-authority-of-india-6328413

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