Indian Badminton Legend Gets Cold Shoulder Treatment from Prestigious Tourney
It could be an oversight or a deliberate act but not inviting a badminton legend at a prestigious event can always raise red flags.
Popular badminton coach Syed Mohammed Arif was reportedly not invited to the BWF World Badminton Championships, which commenced this week at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad, India. This means Arif could not even bring his famed carlton badminton racquet to this tournament.
In an interview with Times of India, Arif said he’s not sure why he did not get any invitation. However, it did not surprise him that much considering that the same incident happened a few years ago.
The celebrated coach’s friends started calling him if he could attend the competition and all Arif could say that he did not get any invitation to attend. He revealed that a lot offered to help him secure the invitation but he decided it is best not to attend.
The 65-year old badminton sensation was one of the pioneers of the sport in the country. Having coached a lot of national champions elevated his place in the badminton scene. In fact, he has trained P Gopi Chand and PVV Lakshmi who both competed in the Olympics.
The 2001 Dronacharya awardee said that he could remember teaching these two Olympians to hold badminton racquets during the early years. He’s proud to reveal that despite the successes of these players, they still stayed under his wing.
He’s wondering still why the invitation was not sent to him despite his impressive background for the sport. However, he said that he will still wait for the statement of the organizers regarding this matter.
