Sports India

NEW DELHI: Former All-England champion P. Gopi Chand has been appointed National coach of the Indian badminton team. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) president, V.K. Verma, made an announcement to this effect here on Wednesday evening.

Gopi Chand replaces Vimal Kumar, who was with the team for about three years and led the men’s team to the league of best-eight nations in the world, in the Thomas Cup held in Japan earlier this month. Vimal Kumar, currently with the BPL Prakash Padukone Academy in Bangalore, has expressed his unavailability due to other commitments.

Gopi Chand has been given a period of four years, till the end of 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, to work with the current and emerging talents and produce champions when India hosts the quadrennial games.

Mr. Verma said it was a unanimous choice of the members of the BAI to appoint Gopi Chand as the new National coach. On his appointment, Gopi Chand said that it was an honour for him to take up the post. “I would have liked to play one more year as a player but I have been through with a lot of injuries off late so I thought of giving it up as a player,” Gopi Chand said formally announcing his retirement from the sport.

Besides, Gopi Chand, the BAI would also appoint two foreign coaches, one for singles and the other for doubles for a period of four years. Though the two will work independently, Gopi Chand will have the final say in the coaching and the matters of competitions.