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A Sports Ministry release has confirmed the inclusion of the Indian Women’s Doubles pairing of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme(TOPS), NDTV reports.
Along with them, the Men’s Doubles pair of Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy have also been added to the list of athletes.
“Badminton players Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Atri have been selected under the TOP Scheme. These players are entitled to receive funding from NSDF for training and competition in preparation for Rio Olympics 2016," The release said.
Among the shuttlers who were picked in the first list include Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, Parupalli Kashyap, RMV Gurusaidutt, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy. Owing to their non-inclusion at the time, Gutta had openly criticised Chief coach Pullela Gopichand for having personal issues with her.
“I had refrained from taking any names after the first list was announced. But now I have to really tell the world that there is only one person behind our exclusion from the TOPS list and that is Pullela Gopichand.
“Gopi has a personal grudge against me and that's why he doesn't want both of us. This is because I have always refused to massage his ego. My job is to perform for the country and not massage someone's ego,” Gutta had said at the time.
The Sports Ministry decided to include the 2011 World Championships bronze-winning pair in July and Gutta had expressed over their names being included in the list.
“It's unfortunate that we had to fight it out. Nobody wants it that way, I always believed that we deserved that place. There are 70 athletes being supported by the ministry and not to find a place in there was shocking, something we could not digest.
“I am happy that we have been included now. It will motivate us further and help us better plan our preparation for Olympics," the 32-year-old shuttler had said.
Gutta and Ponnappa won the silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and also won the bronze at the Asian Games that followed in Incheon. The duo won their title, since reuniting in June 2015, clinching the Canada Open Grand Prix Gold. They also reached the semifinals of the US Open Grand Prix Gold that preceded their Canada Open triumph.
