Aspiring badminton players in Assam should join the Assam Badminton Academy, says South Asian Games gold medallist Ashmita Chaliha

New Delhi, 31 December 2019: South Asian Games gold medallist Ashmita Chaliha expressed that all aspiring badminton players in Assam should join the Assam Badminton Academy in Guwahati. Chaliha, who won two golds at the South Asian Games this year, has been training with an Indonesian coach Edwin Iriawan at the academy for the last two years.

"I would suggest all the aspiring badminton players to join the Assam Badminton Academy. In the academy, there are good coaches and I have been trained by an Indonesian coach Edwin Iriawan for the last two years. If the players go to the academy regularly, it will be very helpful for them," said Chaliha.

The 20-year-old, who won gold in the Tata Open India International and Dubai International in 2018, said that the Khelo India Youth Games is a great opportunity for upcoming athletes to excel in various fields. The third edition of the competition will be held from 10 January 2020 to 22 January 2020 in Guwahati.

"A lot of athletes are getting an opportunity to excel in tournaments such as the Khelo India Youth Games in various fields such as badminton, taekwondo, among others. The government has financially supported all the fields very well. I would like to wish all the athletes, who are participating in the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati, all the very best," said Chaliha.

The badminton player spoke about how she deals with the pressures on the court. Chaliha doesn't think about winning or losing and focusses only on playing her best game.

"There are pressures for sportspersons, but my coach always tells me to play my game freely and not to take too much pressure. He tells me not to think about winning or losing and has asked me to focus on playing my best game," said Chaliha.