NEW DELHI: Badminton star Ashwini Ponnappa funded her travel for tournaments, selection training, regimens, coaches, and physios all on her own, even though she has been a part of the national contingent for years, and credibly a part of three Olympics. She feels it challenged and motivated her to prove herself.
The trajectory of a sportsperson is gruelling. A few highs amidst many lows to navigate, accept and learn from. Each soldiers on, for the love of the sport regardless of support or aid forthcoming. It is their raison de etre, and they persevere. Badminton champ and India doubles specialist Ashwini Ponnappa is no different. The girl who began her tryst with badminton at five, put India on the world badminton map, has been steadfast as a national team member, all the while battling failures, lack of support, rising against conjecture, all in her stride. She gets up, brushes the grime of expectations (hers and others) off her, never complains, and endures. Yet, in the recent weeks after Indian no 1 duo Tanisha Crasto and her early exist from the Olympics, the sweat and tears have been sullied by claims from SAI according to an article of Ashwini getting a sum of 1.48 crore to train. Yet, her run up to the Olympics 2024 was a solitary endeavour. Surprisingly, Ashwini trained, practiced and went tournament hopping with no monetary support from the authorities. She did it on her own.
Funding the travel for tournaments, selection training, regimens, coaches, and physios all on her own, even though she has been a part of the national contingent for years, and credibly a part of three Olympics. She feels it made her self-reliant, challenged and motivated her to prove herself. What she vehemently objects to is bring privy to such a large sum of money before qualifying for the Olympics. “I have been in TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) in the past when I partnered with Sikki. We got immense support then. I understand that since Tanisha and I started playing about a year and a half ago, we had to show our merit. I haven’t been a part of TOPs since, and rightly so. As a new partnership, we had to prove ourselves. That is how athletes grow up the ranks. I had no clue where we were going and how we would fare. I understand the criteria, and am all for rules,” declares Ponnappa.
She however stresses that proven mettle always gets the support of TOPS, SAI and the ministry. Yet this recent media frenzy about her receiving Rs 4,50,000 under TOPS and Rs 1,48,04,080 under the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC), is, “An outright lie,” she clarifies. And as far from the truth as the elusive gold medal in the Olympics is for India.
Ponnappa, is categoric, “Despite the claims made by SAI, I didn’t receive the money. An article says I received Rs 1.5 crore for training. I haven’t received the money. I haven’t even asked for financial support for training. When something like that is mentioned it is money given to athletes to train for the Olympics. Neither have I asked or received it on the run up to qualifying.”
Yes, the support trickled in after the duo’s qualification for the Olympics but as she was not a part of tops, there was no aid given. “If I had to go for a tournament, I spent on my own. I am not sad or cribbing about not having funding. I have been a part of the Indian team for a long time, and have had the ministry’s and associations’ support. Yet, if you are talking about the Olympic cycle – and claiming that I got Rs 1.5 crore, it wrong,” she remarks.
She feels that the report was misinterpreted, and regurgitated further, explaining, “Rs 1.5 crore is a massive deal – it is in effect an amount used to hold entire camps, food, stay, everything involved, along with the tournaments.”
“I have had my constants, my sponsors are with me all the way”
Candid about the support from her sponsors, who she fondly calls her constants – the doubles specialist is grateful at the decades long aid since a pony-tailed and sprightly Ashwini came charging in with doubles partner Jwala Gutta, and won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. “I am employed with ONGC, and extremely grateful for them having been by my side since 2008. My racket and apparel sponsor Victor (for 11 years) and as a Red Bull athlete – these guys have been with me for the longest. They are my constants,” smiles Ashwini. There is no rancour here, just an attempt to tell the truth amid the speculation from the girl who has had to fight hard, fund, look for sponsors, money through tournaments, intermittently, throughout her career. Having ministry support, as part of the national camp, and team was welcome when it came, however she and Tanisha were happy to prove themselves to qualify for the Olympics. As a senior athlete governmental help would have been welcome, though. “All such support comes by way of merit,” she mulls.
Having reached the Olympics on her own stead, she was eligible to TOPS support, which came with a monthly stipend, for four months, “I had the Karnataka government who supports athletes from the state supporting me too.” Yet for any sports person, monetary support before qualifying is crucial. And the reports of money given to her circulating, she feels, “Could have been avoided.”
“My main bone of contention is that for the last year and a half, I haven’t had support from anyone other than my sponsors. I have been blessed thus far, and am grateful for when they have supported me. I understand that everyone is looking at youngsters, as they want the next lot of players to develop, and investments are put on budding talents,” she says.
Ponnappa, who won India’s first World Championships bronze in 2011 alongside Jwala Gutta, and the first badminton gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has been a key fixture in mixed and doubles. Having proven her mettle in medals, concentrating on performance while keeping a vigilant eye on funds can be a tough ask though.
“Nobody believed we could qualify as a fairly new partnership. We did play, we did win a few tournaments and qualified – after we qualified we got back into TOPS, which is ironic, as during the whole run up, that support was not there,” she reveals.
“Whether having a coach there would have made a difference, we will never know”
Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto trained under coach Arun Vishnu, and sadly, his presence during this mammoth world stage event would have been welcome. In high pressure matches, having one’s coach can be a blessing, to gain perspective and clarity.
However their request for a coach was denied. Even as their fortunes faltered in the Olympics, Ashwini takes full accountability, “We have trained together, had a good five weeks working with our coach Arun Vishnu, and Gopi Sir guiding us. Since we were a fairly new duo who had not played together at such a world setting, and our group was tough – it included the World no 3 and world no 7, who we have never played, the occasion was huge. At the Olympics, after we lost the first match, we both went into a negative shell which added to the pressure. Before going into Olympics, Tanisha and I wanted to enjoy ourselves on the court. We wanted to do well. When things don’t go your way, it’s important to back off and relax. Brush it off – we didn’t do that. We carried a lot of pressure. In retrospect, we didn’t need to carry those rocks on our shoulders,” says Ashwini, who has since November had support of the national team, and SAI.
On their coach not being a part of the contingent, Ashwini is circumspect, “In badminton everyone has their own coaches. We wanted our doubles coach Arun Vishnu to travel with us. At one time there was a likelihood of him travelling. Whether it would have made a difference we will never know, but unfortunately there was no spot for him. You have to make do with what you get – it was upsetting though. We take responsibility for our loss. That is why mindset plays a big role. It was my third Olympics, though uncannily, I have never had such an experience.”
“We were carrying the weight on our shoulders, and it showed in the way we played”
“We should have had fun – we did not, and it showed in the way we played. The whole nation was rooting for us, we had huge expectations, it was like a double whammy. That whole tsunami of negativity got to us. It’s a tough learning – tough as it was for me, having been there for many years, for Tanisha who is young and has a long way to go, it’s a an even harder pill to swallow. If she gets past this, it will make her stronger going forward,” says Ashwini who loves the game, and is immensely grateful for the opportunity to start off with a new partner.
On a lighter note, being in the company of the world’s best sports champs at the Paris Olympics was an experience replete with learning. Grateful, they shared a flat with the Indian contingent of boxers – Nikhat, Lovelina, Jasmine, Preeti and their coach. “There was so much to learn from them – different ways of preparing for matches, how they approached it. We witnessed how they loved the sport, their zeal. Mornings were for mobility, and then a full-fledged training. We don’t have to worry about our weight. For them it is very weight-based. How they approached training, managed their weight, got ready, that was awe inspiring,” she says.
The weight topic veers towards India’s hopes and Vinesh Phogat’s troubles. “It is devastating that 100 gm can make such a difference. It was a sure shot silver for her if not gold. I can’t even imagine what she is going through. After all that she has been through, and how incredibly strong she is, hats off to her. All that she has done and been through in the past year, to put up a fight – it’s not easy. She is an amazingly strong woman.”
Nursing the defeat, she is taking some much needed “me time” to recuperate. What next? “I would love to continue playing, I love badminton, and I don’t want to hang up my boots just yet. I feel like I have some time left. It’s too soon let see what’s next,” she concludes.