At a time when India rues political apathy towards sportspersons, an offer made to Olympics Silver medalist P V Sindhu by the Telangana deputy chief minister is one she would rather choose to ignore.
Despite badminton coach Pullela Gopichand’s hard work and perseverance which helped Sindhu perform spectacularly, Telangana’s deputy CM Mahmood Ali has offered to provide her with “a better coach” so that she can win a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, says a Times of India report.
“Sindhu is our daughter and she has made us proud. We will now provide her with an additional coach. Her current coach Gopi is good. But we want her to win Gold medals in the upcoming international competitions,” deputy CM Mahmood Ali was quoted by Times of India as saying.
He made this statement while addressing thousands of people who had gathered at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Monday to welcome Sindhu.
Sindhu was accompanied by coach Gopichand and was greeted by her parents, deputy CM and some ministers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
For her memorable performance at the Rio Olympics, the Telangana government has a cash reward of Rs 5 crore for her, along with a 1000-sq yd plot and a government job.