Qualification for Badminton at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - Tough road ahead for the Indian stars

Rio Olympic Silver Medalist PV Sindhu
Rio Olympic Silver Medalist PV Sindhu

Mixed Doubles

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponappa
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponappa

As is the case in the men's and women's doubles events, even in the mixed doubles events only the top 16 pairs qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The two Indian pairs here are ranked at No. 31 (Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponappa) and No. 35 (Pranav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy) positions and it will be very difficult for either of the pairs to qualify for the Olympics in the remaining 3 months.

Based on the current scenario, it seems India would have a very small representation in badminton at the Tokyo Olympics with one player each in the men's and women's singles and one men's doubles pair. This would definitely be a big let down considering Gopichand was expecting that India would be in a race for a medal in all the 5 events at the Tokyo Olympics. We certainly hope that India is able to win at least a couple of medals in badminton at the Tokyo Olympics even if we do not have a full fledged field across the 5 events.

Quick Links