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What's the story?
Carolina Marin seems to be enjoying her time in India, especially as she is getting to watch badminton action regularly on television.
In a picture she posted on Instagram, the Olympic gold medallist expressed her amazement at the fact that she is getting to watch the matches on television.
"Watching badminton on TV is amazing. Hope we could have this in Spain as well," she wrote in the picture.
In case you didn't know
In the past also, Marin has spoken about how much she loves to come to India and play for the Hyderabad Hunters. Over the last couple of years, she has had some nail-biting encounters with Indian shuttlers like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. Despite the on-court rivalry though, Marinhas showed a lot of respect for her counterparts.
Heart of the matter
Spain is a country which majorly plays and watches football but recently, badminton is getting popular there after Marin became the first non-Asian to win an Olympic gold in women's singles badminton. The World No.1 is trying to change the landscape for badminton in Spain and according to her, it is showing good promise.
"I can see many children playing badminton with their parents in the parks. I want to show Spain that there is more than football. So now, a lot many people follow badminton and want to see me playing," Marin had said earlier.
In Spain, the broadcasters don't show badminton on TV and Marin is desperate to change that.
What's next?
Currently, the Spanish star is playing for the Hyderabad Hunters in the Premier Badminton League. Marin helped her side Hyderabad Hunters get 2 points against the North East Warriors as she won a trump card match. She beat Michelle Lee of Canada in straight sets by the score of 15-9, 15-11.
Author's take
Spain is a football-crazy country with most of the people opting to play or watch the game. However, since Marin became the first European to win the Olympic gold in women's singles, things are looking up for badminton in the country.
Young Spaniards have started to take the game seriously and are also trying to take up badminton as a career choice. At this rate, the broadcasters would be tempted to show badminton on TV across the nation.
