Poona Badminton Association hopes for game to resume by May end

In a report in the Hindustan Times, Poona District Metropolitan Badminton Association (PDMBA) general secretary, Ranjeet Natu says that they hope badminton resumes by the end of next month.

“Life must go on and we are ensuring that people associated with the sport spend the time learning a lot of new things."

There are 800 badminton players from the city who train at PDMBA under 25 coaches. Nine courts are always packed with players and coaches during any season. But even as these players are unable to train or practice on court, PDMBA is conducting Facebook live sessions, sharing different techniques with coaches over WhatsApp or sharing Past Masters of Indian Badminton series articles penned by Shirish Nadkarni with players.

“We first started by sharing articles of Past Masters of Indian Badminton series which will enhance the knowledge of young badminton players. The articles give information about all badminton greats from our country starting from Nandu Natekar to Pullela Gopichand,” said Natu."

But having said that, we cannot deny the action on court is what brings out the best in players and the general secretary can't wait for badminton to resume. "I hope badminton action starts by end of May, since it is not a body contact sport. However, we will still ensure all precautions are followed. We will be setting up sanitisation chambers and will also purchase thermal temperature monitors."

The complex will also be donating Rs 1 lakh to the PM Cares Fund and Chief Minister's relief fund.