Mumbai, Sep 16 (UNI) Celebrated National Badminton Coach Pullela Gopichand has proposed a novel idea of creating bio-secure bubbles and organising multiple mini leagues among top athletes to kickstart sport in the country.
Speaking during a webinar on Wednesday titled ‘Sports, Fitness, Lockdown – What is the way forward?’, supported by IDBI Federal Life Insurance, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and FIT India, Gopichand said, “It may not be possible to organise massive national or state level tournaments like we used to pre-Covid, due to social distancing norms. But we can surely look at a number of leagues in each sport among top players, as per their levels.”
AFI President Adille Sumariwalla wholeheartedly backed the proposal, revealing that his federation had been working on precisely those lines to keep his athletes in fine fettle and top form with an eye on the Olympics next year.