"I think the help came in from a lot of places" - HS Prannoy on the rise of Indian badminton in the last few years

HS Prannoy, one of India’s finest shuttlers, has had a phenomenal last few years. He was a vital part of the men’s team that won the Thomas Cup and the silver at 2023 Asian Games.

Prannoy also won an individual medal at World Championships and Asian Games. The 31-year-old has been on the international scene for almost 15 years and has been a big part of the country’s exponential growth in performance in the last few years.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, HS Prannoy gives his views on the country’s rise in international badminton, the role of coaches, the government, and the big part played by corporations like the Federal Bank.

Q: You have watched Indian badminton grow over the last decade; being right through the thick of it, what’s something that you think has been vital in its development?

HS Prannoy: I think straight, starting from how Gopi sir came into the system being the chief national coach. I think that gave the confidence to a lot of players, saying that we can go out there and be the best in the world, and I think we needed that kind of structure in place at that point.

Looking back, I think he has produced a number of champions out there, and I would say, apart from that (Gopi sir), I think the help came in from a lot of places. Go Sports Foundation was one of them who kind of got into the journey, and they helped us to believe that we can also play at such a high level. I think all the help was kind of given by the Go Sports Foundation family, so these kinds of structures came in probably a decade ago.

Q: How has the increased support from the government helped players?

HS Prannoy: The support from the government has been immense in the last decade and more. I think there's a lot of funding for the players to go out there and play in international tournaments, which made a huge difference.

Q: How has the support from corporations contributed to the growth of the sport in India?

HS Prannoy: I would say the corporates coming into the sport; I think that was the next big change which happened in the last, I would say, six to seven years. A lot of corporates have been coming into the sport, helping the players, helping the system, and helping the ecosystem.

I think one big example would be the Federal Bank. I think for somebody like a federal bank to come into badminton and not cricket, obviously, I think it's a big step forward from a corporate point.

I would say that from a player's point of view, you also feel that okay, there are people who trust in our journey who know how tough this journey is, and to kind of back us towards getting big medals like world championships and Olympic medals, I think a huge difference was made, so I think there's a collective effort from a lot of people out there that made the entire scenario of, I think, Indian badminton change, and I think that that helped us get a lot of big medals in the big events.

Q: How has the Federal Bank’s support helped you in your journey?

HS Prannoy: The Federal Bank has been one of those corporates giving you that moral support from behind, saying that if you're doing well, then there are people who are going to take care of you.

Obviously, being a part of the Federal Bank, I think meeting everybody from the Federal Bank gives you that connection, saying that you keep thriving until you get the results, and I think that's what I think. Me and the Federal Bank kind of resonate with each other, saying that we are aggressive as such from a business point and from a sporting point also.

And I think for a bank like the Federal Bank, the help has been incredible over the last almost six months, and hopefully, we can collectively keep getting better, and hopefully, there can be more corporates coming in and helping players like the Federal Bank is doing.

And I'm glad that it's not just cricket for the federal bank; they're out there with a lot of cultural activities and supporting a lot of non-cricket sports, so I hope it can be on a much bigger scale in the coming years, and you can see a lot of Indian banks sponsor players in the coming days.