Double Olympics medallist P.V. Sindhu made the first big move to set up an “international standard” badminton academy in Andhra Pradesh with the ground-breaking ceremony at Arilova in Visakhapatnam East on Thursday.
The proposed Academy on the three-acre site allotted by the then Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy government will have nine synthetic courts besides the full-fledged gym and a boarding facility for 70 members.
“I couldn’t have thought of a better place than Vizag for my Academy. It has been my dream to run an academy that caters to the needs and aspirations of all the genuine talent and not just a select few,” Sindhu informed Sportstar.
“This Academy will be the final destination where athletes of all levels and from any discipline can find a home—and a mentor—dedicated to guiding the next generation to the top,” she said.
“We all know the kind of challenges Indian badminton is facing now. I am looking forward to the complete support of the BAI and the Sports Authority of India to make this Academy a truly successful one,” Sindhu said.
“Yes, the process of setting up this Academy would not have been possible but for the support of Greenco. I thank them sincerely. I can assure you that I will spend as much free time as I have at the Vizag Academy. No one can question my commitment and passion in nurturing young talent,” Sindhu added.
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“We hope to make the Academy fully operational by January 2026 and I believe it will give badminton a huge fillip in this part of the region which till now didn’t have a full-fledged badminton Academy,” she said.
For his part, Sindhu’s father and volleyball international P.V. Ramana said the initial plans also feature volleyball and basketball along with badminton in the Academy.
“We have plans for Sports School also to ensure proper, minimum graduation for the players,” he said.
“Foreign coaches and there will be Indians too, especially those who are qualified NIS coaches who know what it means to nurture a young talent especially key areas like giving the right kind of workload to avoid injuries to players,” he added.
“All players cannot be good coaches and all analysts need not be players also. We assert that this is not going to be a commercial centre, though adequate funding is the key to sustaining a world-class Academy,” Ramana concluded.
