BAI to schedule the dates for the National after discussing with the players

With the action-packed Badminton World Federation’s new revamped calendar, calling it as World Tour of Super 100, 300, 500, 750, 1000 and the World Tour Finals through the year, Badminton Association of India (BAI) has left with no time to schedule national tournaments such the national championship besides the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asian Games.

Anurag Narang, BAI General Secretary said, “Yes, there will be a national championship this year for sure. We may even have the nationals in the summer. It may happen in June or July, we are not sure. We will have to put the nationals in any short window we get, but we will have to have it this year. Our future players will spring up only when we have such tournaments.”

BAI made up the decision that after talking with players, they would schedule the dates of the National Championships.

“We are planning to ask our players when we should hold the nationals because we want them to play. It is not going to be easy. They are forced to play 12 Superseries and then they have to play the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games as well. We want our major players to spell out which 12 out these 20-odd tournaments they will be playing. Based on that, we will make the calendar and schedule the nationals. The players and the administrators have to come together and take a combined decision,” Narang said.

“We have a two-pronged strategy: 1. Try and ensure that our players are able to retain certain top-level rankings for which they will have to play certain tournaments. 2. Our endeavour is that they get enough rest and practice time for our two major team events – the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games,” he added.

“We haven’t met them formally to discuss. They also have to see how this unfolds. They made a format during the BWF Council Meets. What happens is that during some years, you will have multiple other international tournaments organised by other Olympic committees that also has to be considered. It can be tight. That’s why players have shown dissent on why they have to play a minimum of 12 tournaments (this year).

“Some of the top players have already said they want only four or five which are like Grand Slams, should be made mandatory. Playing 12 mandatory tournaments will result in a lot of injuries as well. If, what the players say is right, then you know they could be overloading.

Because this is a new thing, BWF will probably go back to the drawing board and contemplate,” Narang said, adding, “It’s a new concept for all of us. We have to see how it unfolds and how successful it is.”

Narang said that there’s no top player who is not present in PBL be it in the men’s singles, the women’s singles or the doubles combination and this was an experimental thing to shift from 15-day format to a 23-day format.

He said, “We are at a place where we have to see all the pluses and minuses. See what the limitations are and what needs to be corrected. Personally, I feel having a window of 23 days is a little long at times. They have done some good things like restricting the number of centres to four this so that players don’t have to travel too much. So it is a mix of both.”

Narang is unsure of the same schedule for the next PBL. “In the coming years, with so much of packed schedule, it will be difficult to get a window for so long. So that has to be worked out. Let us hope and see how it can be enforced.”

BAI also planning for National camps for juniors in various centers for the two major events, The Dutch Open and The German Open. “We want to showcase our juniors because the earlier they get on to the global arena, the more they will grow. Our policy is to ‘Take India forward’,” he said.