Tokyo Olympics: BAI requests IOA to allow four coaches, two physios to travel alongside athletes
Jun 08, 2021
New Delhi [India], June 8 : The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has written to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for allowing four coaches including Pullela Gopichand to travel alongside the Olympic-bound shuttlers to the Tokyo Games.
"Yes, we have written to IOA and have requested them to include coaches in the travelling list as it is important, we need our coaches there," a source in the know of developments told ANI.
In the letter, BAI has also written to IOA in order to allow two physios to travel alongside the contingent for the Tokyo Games.
"We are hopeful that IOA will surely look into this," said the source.
As per the regulations for the Tokyo Games, the number of officials travelling to Olympics cannot be more than one-third of the athletes.
Talking about this regulation, the source said: "As of now we have not talked about our officials because support staff is more important."
PV Sindhu, Sai Praneeth and the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are the Indian shuttlers who have managed to attain qualification for the Tokyo Games slated to begin on July 23.
Sindhu had won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and she would be now looking to go all the way after Carolina Marin pulled out of the Tokyo Games.
