New Delhi: India’s ace doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta on Thursday slammed the Sport Ministry for ignoring her for the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme, saying that she did not deserve such a treatment from the government after all the struggle she had faced to bring laurels to the country. Jwala, a bronze medallist alongwith Ashwini Ponnappa in the 2011 World Championships, said that she was disappointed to have been left out of the scheme despite being a top shuttler all these while.
“I just read news about Ashwini and my names not being there in TOP scheme. The only support we had was of Govt of India and now that also seems bleak. The players who are already having lot of corporate support are in the list and Ashwini and me not considered. I don’t know what more to be done. I am kind of tired, kind of disappointed,” Jwala said.
“If we speak its called cribbing and if we don’t we will be just left out. We have struggled so much to just play doubles even after the performance which was never expected but continuously being discouraged like this by association and now the govt. How else are we suppose to motivate ourselves?” she asked.
The TOP scheme identifies medal prospects from a few sports, including badminton, to provide funding for top-class training for the 2016 Olympics. Recently, Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) has pledged to contribute Rs 10 crore each for three years to the TOP Scheme for shuttlers.
According to sources, Saina, Srikanth, Kashyap, Prannoy, RMV Gurusaidutt, and PV Sindhu are the six shuttlers who have been selected for the scheme by a government-appointed committee, which also include chief national coach Pullela Gopichand.
Jwala and Ashwini, who are currently world number 19, had also written to ministry to extend the support under TOP to them as well as they have a bright chance of qualifying for Rio Olympics after making the Games four years back in London.
“We have only been ignored again and again and if we talk about it, people say how much we crib. Sacrifices made by our parents and coaches who want us to do well, they are the ones who see what we really go through. And we are constantly put down by our association and chief national coaches,” she said.
The 31-year-old from Hyderabad said people should not expect doubles event to do well after being discouraged in this way by BAI and government.
“Its easy to expect miracles and performance and if one could say still be possible to do well without any facilities which we have done in the past. But when your pushed down time and again and expected to do well, it’s extremely difficult.
“The feeling of dejection time and again has gone up so high that only Ashwini and me can feel. I don’t expect anything after this. Its just a feeling of a dejected athlete who is tired of trying to motivate herself again and again in spite of the system against us,” said Jwala. (PTI)
