"Be careful, educate yourself...": Gopichand pitches for safety net for players who exit sports

New Delhi [India], February 25 (ANI): Noting that there is a "substantial gap in the ecosystem" for budding players who do not achieve desired success in sports, India's chief badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has urged players to be careful about their alternate options.
In an interview with ANI, Gopichand, a former All England Champion who commands a following not only for his sports achievements but also for his stance on various sports issues, said a very small percentage of sportspersons achieve celebrity status, and there is a need for opportunities such as skilling for those who make an exit.
"The thing is that out of the hundred people, maybe a per cent or less than a per cent are these numbers whom we are talking about, who gain celebrity status and are taken care of. There's no problem with us. I am also in that...where I've made a great life out of sport that's one per cent of the population or even less. Then you have maybe another four-five per cent of them who come from rich backgrounds with parents who can afford failure and still end up in a family business. No problem. There's no issue there. Maybe another 10 per cent come from families who are very poor and who have a Rs 40,000 job and it's an upgrade to their lifestyle also. That's also not a problem. Still, you're left with a 75-80 per cent population. There is actually a substantial gap in the ecosystem," Gopichand said.
"When I was playing... after 12th is when this call was to be made. Today with the nature of education, the nature of sport... people at age of 7 and 8 stop studying almost completely and they start focusing on sport, various sports. And when you reach 18, 19, 20, you actually spend the best years of your life, the most productive years, when everybody else in every other career is actually building up a CV to earn more for the rest of their lives. Here are people who are actually spending their best years. And if they don't make it, then what happens to them is the big question which I'm saying," Gopichand said.
The former Badminton player said that sportspersons should be careful with education in their years of study and that society also needs to have a safety net.
"I am addressing this to the parent who has an only child, I'm addressing to the parent who's talking about his children. I'm not talking about the larger ecosystem, I would love my country to win. But this is actually telling and talking to the player that boss, you just be careful. Think twice that you need to also educate yourself. Sports needs education. The society needs to have a safety net," he said.
The Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships medallist highlighted the need for a support system for players.
He said the nature of sport is that very few succeed at the top level.
"When we know that 99 are failing, why are we, as a system, not taking care of them? Today, if you look at the last 10 years, 15 years, 20 years...when I was playing, we were 30 of us used to play, there were 20 jobs. No problem. Hyderabad had three badminton courts. Today, probably there are 2000 badminton courts," Gopichand said.
He said sportspersons who make an exit should get opportunities for skilling.
"All I am saying is this is a problem which is existing in the ecosystem. There are people who will exit...let them exit properly and give them a life of respect, educate them, skill them and when they grow in life, they are happy that I am a sports person. I have tried out, but society has taken care of me. That's the major point," he said.
Gopichand also spoke about support players receive from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he has inspired the nation for keeping fit and has rekindled aspiration among players. (ANI)