Saina Nehwal: Bai Center Of Excellence To Open In Guwahati Tomorrow | Jaipur News
The organisers had to quickly prepare a make-shift wooden court at the adjacent other venue in which Saina later played late in the evening and then went on to retain the women’s singles title beating PV Sindhu in an epic summit clash.
However, after four years, the same set of officials can feel proud today of their achievement when the BAI Center of Excellence will be inaugurated on August 11 in Guwahati. The state-of-the-art national badminton center, a joint venture of Assam Government and BAI, will be launched on Friday in the presence of who’s who of the country’s badminton fraternity.
The ambitious project of BAI will have a whopping 24 badminton courts with a seating capacity of around five thousand spectators. The BAI Center of Excellence will be the biggest in the country with a couple of dozens of courts under one roof.
To mark the important occasion, the triumphant Indian men’s badminton team, which won the Thomas Cup in 2022, will be felicitated by the BAI president and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra, Assam sports minister Bimal Bora and other dignitaries will also be present during the inaugural function.
Underdogs India stunned 14-time champions Indonesia 3-2 in a high-voltage final in May last year to become the only sixth nation to lift the coveted trophy.
According to a top BAI official, the BAI Center of Excellence will be operational immediately. The national governing body of the sport will kick-start their various activities soon after Friday’s formal inauguration.
“The inauguration of the ambitious BAI Center of Excellence will mark the major landmark for badminton in the country. It will be the biggest and largest badminton hall in India with all the top-class facilities. Now all the national junior camps will be held at the new center. Even some of the senior national camps can also happen in Guwahati. A dedicated team of top-quality coaches including leading foreign coaches will train the shuttlers throughout the year,” said a top BAI official.
The BAI always wanted to start a national badminton center in the last few years. They had stated that they would launch five zonal academies across the country to boost the overall standard of badminton in India.
“Such centers should come up in every zone. Only then will we be able to produce champions on a regular basis. Badminton should not be restricted mainly to only a couple of states. If we provide facilities in every zone, performance will automatically improve,” said a leading national coach.
Sources added that a MoU will be signed on Friday between the Assam government and the BAI for 25 years subject to renewal for further 10 years. He also said that a management committee comprising five members will be constituted for supervising the center’s functioning and administration.
