India
GoBadminton

Shortage of Shuttles a Growing Concern for Players & Academies in India

By: Editor
Date: 15 Sep, 2020
Image Courtesy: GoBadminton
The Corona Virus Pandemic and the ongoing Sino-India border conflict is having an adverse on Indian shuttlers with the supply of feather shuttles now hitting rock bottom. Just as academies all across the country are finding their feet again and beginning to function at full capacity, the lack of shuttles is leading to considerable cause of concern.

Several sources indicate that the complete ban on feathered products from China means that the shortage of supply is only going to further increase in the days to come.

China is the supply capital of the world for feather shuttles, and even the raw materials required for manufacture are largely imported from China – so both ways, the supply line has been severely stressed for Indian players.

The supply chains started seeing scarcity back in July, but hardly any of the academies were functioning back then. But now with almost all of them, including the premier ones in the country back to full capabilities, the scarcity couldn’t be more acute.

So much so that even the Chief Coach of the Indian Badminton Team Pullela Gopichand has expressed his concerns over the availability of shuttles and the possible impact it could have on the players’ preparation for the upcoming tournaments.

The academy is currently using shuttles from the existing stock, while new barrels haven’t yet arrived, said the national coach. Similar sentiments were echoed by U Vimal Kumar, co-founder & chief coach of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru. 

It is not just the lack of fresh shuttles but also the fact that existing shuttles could soon go-past their expiry date and render them useless for appropriate practice. Add to that the stringer covid_19 protocols on the re-use of shuttles, and the gravity of the situation is further compounded.

For now, while awaiting a remedy of the situation and replenishment of stocks both the academies & suppliers are playing judicious with the use of the existing stock, and trying to find alternative options to shore up supplies.

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