Winning a bronze medal at the Thomas Cup, one of the premier global badminton events, is no mean feat. Yet, the Indian team, comprising players such as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Lakshya Sen, and Kidambi Srikanth, was heartbroken to find no public fanfare at the airport. There wasn’t even a single query about their achievement in Denmark from fellow passengers on their flight, many of whom were Indian. This lack of recognition was not just disappointing for the shuttlers; it made them question whether a sport like badminton should even be pursued professionally in a country like India.
In an interview with the Indian Express, Satwik admitted to being dejected that people were preoccupied with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and politics as they boarded their flight from Germany to Hyderabad. He was struck by the fact that not a single person asked who they were or what they had accomplished.
“We were at the airport, taking a seven-hour flight back from Germany to Hyderabad. Nobody even asked us who we were or what medals we had won. There were so many Indians, many Telugus. We were wearing Thomas Cup jerseys, but everyone was busy with IPL, politics, whatever. It was the same thing when we won gold in 2022. We should have celebrated much more. People don’t realise these chances might not come again. It is very tough to win the Thomas Cup; even medalling is difficult. When we landed at the airport, all the players — Prannoy, Srikanth, and Dhruv — were just booking cabs. Nobody around seemed to notice. My friends came to pick me up, but I felt really sad looking around at that airport scene: top athletes trying to book cabs,” he said.
Chirag, Satwik’s men’s doubles partner, noted that while he didn’t necessarily expect a crowd, he was hit by the realisation that “nobody cares.”
“It was that feeling that ‘still nobody cares.’ See, we never expected people would flock to the airport to receive us. Last time we won, we were well-received, met the PM, and were felicitated. But it wasn’t celebrated the way it should have been. Those who watch badminton appreciate it, but the general public just doesn’t grasp the magnitude of the 2022 win. It makes me sad that we are not yet a sporting nation. There’s only so much the government and the federation can do-their schemes are terrific-but the sporting ecosystem itself doesn’t celebrate achievement,” said the shuttler.
Satwik went a step further in calling out the lack of recognition, stating he might not let his own child play badminton professionally because the lack of appreciation makes it difficult to persevere.
“When Chirag’s dancing celebration reel went viral, I was happy. But then I remembered how someone can play some random thing and get a million followers, and I ask myself, ‘Why?’ Here we are fighting to win, and if we get injured, there’s no replacement for us. We play without support and under immense pressure in team events. But even a title wasn’t enough last time, nor again this time. I told Prannoy I’ll not let my kid play badminton. If you are mentally strong, you’ll manage, but otherwise, it’s really tough to keep going when a large part of the country is oblivious to your performance. Frankly, at the Hyderabad academy, we were felicitated, and that small bouquet and cake-cutting ceremony was enough. We don’t expect anything grand,” he stressed.
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