Khel Udaan: Giving wings to young athletes

These types of results give a sense of satisfaction and happiness. It is an unique project where the athletes get support in their training,’’ said Gopichand.

Hyderabad: What started on an experiment basis is now turning out to be a successful project. It was the endeavour of The Mytrah Energy, in association with Gopichand Foundation and with active guidance from Sports Authority of India (SAI) & Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS), to unearth and promote talent a few years ago. This Khel Udaan initiative of chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand and coach N Ramesh has already provided the desired results as the athletes from this project have won over 546 medals in State, National and international competitions. It is the first-of-its-kind initiative where trainees get necessary support to train in a more systematic manner.

“These types of results give a sense of satisfaction and happiness. It is an unique project where the athletes get support in their training,’’ said Gopichand. It all began in 2016 when national sprint queen Dutee Chand, who was reshaping her career was looking for help and this project came as a blessing in disguise to her future dreams. The Odisha athlete went on to win medals in Asian Games, World University Games and other big events.

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“Dutee was in a bad shape career-wise. It is here when we supported her with accommodation in our academy and she could practice at the GMC Balayogi Stadium,’’ said Gopichand.

According to Ramesh, the experiment proved to be successful and it also helped them lend support to other promising athletes who used to train at this stadium. “Most of these athletes hail from a poor family with parents who are labourers, maidservants or autorickshaw drivers. This financial help meant a lot as they could train for free and participate with a more purposeful drive in the competitions. Athletes like Nandini, Maheshwari and others are all from economically weak families and today they have set an example in their small villages as they have won laurels with their award winning performances. The athletes are also rewarded with cash incentives,’’ said Ramesh.

Gopichand said the Dutee experiment was a highly successful one. “At the beginning of the project, there were 15 odd athletes with Ramesh as lone coach. Today, we have around 40 athletes and there are three assistant coaches, one physio and two masseurs. Apart from that, the athletes are given nutrition, food, scholarships and travel comfortably to competitions. We have to compliment Ramesh who has worked hard to bring the best out of these athletes. It was a simple model which has turned out to a phenomenal one.’’

Vikram Kailas, managing director of Mytrah Energy India Pvt Ltd, said they were happy that through this unique project many of the athletes are being benefited in a huge way. The Mytrah Energy and Gopichand Foundation agreed to renew Khel Udaan for a further three-year-period.

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