New Delhi, 05 May (H.S.): Three national coaching camps, approved by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and operating at a cost of ₹1.67 crore, are giving new direction to Indian badminton teams' Asian Games 2026 preparations.
Launched on April 10, these camps are being held in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Guwahati, bringing the country's top shuttlers together for high-level training.
Recently, in the Thomas and Uber Cup 2026 held in Horsens, Denmark, between April 24 and May 3, the Indian men's team secured the bronze medal. Through these camps, players like Lakshya Sen, debutant Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, and doubles pair Satwicksai Raj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty got the opportunity for joint practice, improving coordination, and developing match rhythm.
The camps are being held at Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, Center for Badminton Excellence, and National Center for Excellence Badminton Academy.
In the Hyderabad camp, 13 men and 9 women players are training, in Bengaluru 5 men and 5 women players, while in Guwahati 4 men and 1 woman player are receiving training. These camps will continue until June 30.
Operating under the guidance of Chief National Coach Pullela Gopichand, these camps also include foreign coaches, physios, trainers, and analysts, enabling players to get an internationally competitive environment.
Players including Uber Cup team's Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, Trisha Jolly, Tanisha Crasto, and others are also participating in these camps. Now the focus of these camps is centered on preparations for the Asian Games 2026, Olympic Games 2028, and international competitions organized by the Badminton World Federation and Badminton Asia.
India is expected to send a large contingent of more than 700 athletes across over 40 disciplines to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, aiming to surpass the historic 106-medal haul achieved at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar