JEDDAH, 20 February 2004 — Those were the days when fewer sports were in prominence and all of them got enthusiastic participation in India. Times have changed. It looks as though cricket is the only sport with nationwide appeal. There is no dearth of support and funding for cricket. Commercial houses literally queue up to offer their sponsorship. Call it commercialization if you like, young talents in the country dream of becoming professional cricketers rather than pursuing their interests in any other sport.
Cricket has been overshadowing almost all the other sports. Hockey is perhaps the only exception that has now started gaining prominence after the national team’s competitive performance in some international events in the recent past, but even this sport suffers from a lack of support or sponsorship. What could be the prospects for badminton and other sports is anybody’s guess.
“If badminton does not get enough support and sponsorship then sooner or later it will become a ‘has-been’ sport,” S.M. Arif, who retired as India’s chief national badminton coach last month-end, told Arab News.
Arif, who came from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad to perform Haj, is the recipient of “Dronacharya” award, a national award given to sports individuals in recognition of their contribution in terms of training and coaching.
In fact, Arif, who recently turned 60, has not limited his interests to badminton, which he played in his younger days. He also played cricket, football and table tennis during his youthful days. He played cricket for Anwarul Uloom College and Deccan Blues in the Andhra Pradesh capital. As a badminton player in his college days, he won the All-India University Championship in 1965 and played for his state in 1967 and thereafter at the national level.
In 1971-72, he obtained a diploma in badminton coaching and was appointed as coach by the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, Punjab. “I spent the first six years of my coaching career in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. In 1974 he also undertook assignments to coach players at various camps, including those held in Hyderabad, Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Bangalore (Karnataka).
Badminton has produced 60 to 70 noteworthy coaches, says Arif who retired after 32 years of coaching boys and girls in different categories. “As a coach, I closely watched the performance and rise of leading Indian badminton players,” Arif said.
Badminton is a tough game and can be physically very tiring and taxing. But what is of paramount importance is that sports like badminton will need a lot of attention from investors, supporters and sponsors because it is one of the most expensive indoor games.
In fact, badminton is the costliest indoor game, he says. A racket costs at least 15,000 Indian rupees, and the racket guts have to be mended game after game. Moreover, a shuttlecock costs over 75 rupees. “Players have to bear all these expenses and that’s the reason not many are attracted to the sport,” Arif said.
Arif, who has coached badminton players for the Olympic Games, World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asia Cup over the years, and also for prestigious tournaments like Thomas Cup for men and Uber Cup for women, has also won a meritorious service award from the International Badminton Federation in 1997 and Shrestha Award in 2002. The Shrestha Award is dedicated to Andhra Pradesh and instituted by Dr. Rameneni Foundation in the United States.
Today, Arif looks back with pride as he has produced 15 international players from Hyderabad including two Olympians; P. Gopi Chand, who became All-England champion in 2000 and won the national ‘Khel Ratna’ award in 2001, and P.V.V. Lakshmi. His trainees from Hyderabad have won 187 titles in national tournaments. What’s more, he was the coach of the Indian team that won for the first time four gold medals in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.
