Pay and play: SAI pulled fund support while Sindhu, Sen won badminton titles

P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen secured singles titles at the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany, on Sunday, marking a moment of pride for Indian badminton. However, weeks prior, the athletes had to finance their European tour themselves due to a last-minute withdrawal of funding from the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The SAI's decision came just days before the Arctic Open began on October 6 in Finland.

Sindhu expressed her shock and surprise, stating that she managed to fund her participation on her own and with the help of her backers. Three SAI officials suggested that the funding withdrawal was possibly linked to India's below-par performance at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where the shuttlers did not win any individual medals for the first time since 2014.

The SAI clarified that the rejection of the Badminton Association of India's (BAI) funding proposal was due to the federation's failure to submit it within the stipulated timeline, not because of poor performance. The BAI informed the players about the funding cut through a WhatsApp message, and the federation agreed to provide accommodation for the first tournament in Finland, but players had to cover expenses for travel, food, accommodation, and other costs for the remaining tournaments.

This situation led several Indian players to withdraw from subsequent tournaments in Denmark, France, and Germany. Despite the financial constraints, Sindhu and Sen still achieved notable wins at the French Open and the Hylo Open, boosting their prospects of qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals and improving their world rankings.