Gaurav Khanna, Dronacharya Laureate and National Head Coach of the Indian Para-Badminton Team, on Sunday officially announced his association with Ageas Federal Life Insurance to launch the country’s first Para-Badminton Academy.
The state-of-the-art, high-performance center with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities in Lucknow aims to improve India’s medal chances at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Gaurav Khanna, a Dronacharya Awardee, also unveiled the Ageas Federal “Quest for Fearless Shuttlers” program during the closed-door launch event to identify and develop new talent for the 2028 and 2032 Paralympic Games.
The High Performance Center consists of four courts, two with BWF-approved synthetic mats for standing athletes and two wooden courts for wheelchair athletes. In addition to all modern facilities, including a fully equipped gymnasium, facilities for ice baths, steam baths, sauna baths and jacuzzi hydrotherapy, it also has disabled-friendly rooms for athletes.
“India has produced several para-champions, but they could never train in a professional setup. Since 2015, I have been doing everything I can in improvised rental places,” lamented Gaurav Khanna. “Thanks to Ageas Federal Life Insurance, we have managed to create a world-class facility for para-badminton players. They can not only train here now, but also stay for long periods of time and fully concentrate on their game.”
Players will have access to qualified coaches, physios, physical trainers, nutritionists and other support staff all under one roof.
“As well as supporting several marathons, we have extensively supported badminton locally,” said Karthik Raman, Chief Marketing Officer, Ageas Federal Life Insurance. “Para badminton was the pride of our nation at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. It is our honor and privilege to partner with Gaurav Khanna for the launch of the Academy to help this sport reach greater heights in the country and hopefully win more laurels during of the upcoming Paris 2024 games. Our “Quest For Fearless Shuttlers initiative” is our humble effort towards this goal,” he added.
Pramod Bhagat, Manoj Sarkar, Nitesh Kumar, Krishna Nagar, Nithya Sri and Palak Kohli, along with future para-shuttlers, attended the launch ceremony behind closed doors due to new COVID-19 restrictions.
At the Tokyo Paralympic Games, Pramod Bhagat and Krishna Nagar won gold in singles while Suhas Yathiraj and Manoj Sarkar contributed silver and bronze to make it a total of four medals. Gaurav Khanna has revealed that all of these players, totaling up to 50, will now train at the Academy.
“I also plan to start a Coaching Excellence program because I want other coaches to understand the intricacies of Para badminton. I am preparing the draft program and aim to train several coaches in the country so that we become a major force in the sport,” he explained.
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