Shuttler Srikanth apologises, recommended for Khel Ratna
Srikanth and Prannoy had left the India squad in Manila to play the Spain Masters in Barcelona—starting a couple of days later—despite being advised against it.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Friday recommended Kidambi Srikanth for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna after the former world No. 1 apologised for his misconduct during the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) in Manila in the second week of February. HS Prannoy, on the other hand, has been issued a show cause notice and asked to respond in the next 15 days.
Srikanth and Prannoy had left the India squad in Manila to play the Spain Masters in Barcelona—starting a couple of days later—despite being advised against it.
The duo departed following India’s 3-2 win over Thailand in the quarter-finals, leaving the team without much firepower against reigning champions Indonesia. India lost in the semi-final 2-3, missing out on an opportunity to qualify for the summit clash for the first time.
Subhankar Dey finished the tournament in Manila and then proceeded to Barcelona where he faced Srikanth in the first round, losing the close contest in straight games.
The incident led BAI to initially not recommend either for the national sports awards but the association did a U-turn after Srikanth tendered an unconditional apology.
“We have received an email from Srikanth in which he has accepted the mistake and has also promised to not indulge in such activities in the future. Considering Srikanth’s talent and his accomplishments, we have decided to recommend his name for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna,” BAI secretary-general Ajay Singhania said.
Prannoy’s case worsened after the Kerala shuttler slammed the BAI earlier this month after being snubbed for the Arjuna award for the second year in a row. He went on to say that “this country is a joke” on social media.
“There are several instances of disciplinary issues with Prannoy. The federation had been very tolerant all this while but in the recent past, his attitude has forced BAI to take action and also relook at the disciplinary policies,” said Singhania. “A show cause letter has been issued for the remarks he made. If the player fails to respond in the allotted time, BAI will take stern action against the shuttler.”
Prannoy declined to respond, saying, “I don’t want to comment.”
BAI is currently formulating a code of conduct for its players, coaches and technical officials.
