Relaxation of rules: Anurag Thakur announces Rs 1 crore reward to Thomas Cup-winning Indian team

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: In an unprecedented move, Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur today announced an award of Rs 1 crore to Indian men’s badminton team which created history by winning the coveted Thomas Cup for the first time with a spectacular 3-0 victory over 14-time champion Indonesia in the final in Bangkok.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports contributed to the unprecedented success of the team by providing the players with training and competition support. A 10-week National Camp starting January helped raise fitness levels of the players. The support to engage Mathias Boe as coach to assist the doubles combinations has been significant as well.

Over the past four years, the Ministry has extended funding worth Rs 67.19 crore to the Indian badminton players towards training and competition, including salaries of foreign and Indian coaches. And in the past year alone, the Ministry has supported as many as 14 international exposure trips at a cost of Rs 4.50 crore.

Shri Anurag Singh Thakur celebrated the victory with a spontaneous decision. “India’s extraordinary feat of winning the Thomas Cup with successive victories over Malaysia, Denmark and Indonesia in the play-offs called for a relaxation of rules. It is with pride that I announce the award of Rs 1 crore to the team that Indians so much joy this weekend,” he said.

The Minister complimented the players, coaches and support staff of the Indian team. “Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy kept a clean slate by winning each time they stepped on court. The doubles combination of Satwiksairakj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty raised the bar to win decisive points in five of the six matches, including all three in the knockout stage,” he said.

“Lakshya Sen showed nerves of steel in winning the opening match against Indonesia. I am sure that doubles combination of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila ad Krishna Prasad Garaga and Panjala Vishnuvardhan Goud as well as Priyanshu Rajawat will have gained immensely by being part of this historic campaign,” Shri Anurag Singh Thakur said.