MADURAI: India’s badminton great Pullela Gopichand has today made a fervent appeal to parents and schools in the country to ensure that every child in India plays some game of their choice because it is fundamental for physical health.
“Our children should be physically fit and have a sound body health. Otherwise it will be a problem in future. Physical fitness is down too much in our country and our kids are not able to run these days. A combination of sports and classroom learning is important. Our country has come down in physical literacy even though it has gone up in alphabet literacy and economic literacy,” he said while speaking to reporters after inaugurating Queen Mira Badminton Academy at Queen Mira International School (QMIS) campus in Madurai today-February 5th 2025.
Stating that it has been great journey for him as badminton coach in the last 20 years, Mr.Pullela Gopichand had emphasized that there is a phenomenal rise of badminton playing in India and the QMIS which has a very good management has started badminton academy for holistic health and holistic learning of children.
“A combination of sports and education should be there. Sports has a big role to play for physical health of our country’s population. The support for badminton from Tamil Nadu government and from Modiji government at the Centre is good and we are in the process of coming out more plans to tap the sports talent which is good among our children. Remember that opportunities in sports are growing now and I appreciate the Queen Mira International School in Madurai for setting an example of how a school could balance studies and sports,” Mr.Pullela Gopichand who is a revered badminton coach in India and a Padma Bhushan awardee has said.
FOR FUTURE CHAMPIONS:
Mr.Abinath Chandran, Managing Director, QMIS, in his introductory remarks has said that the Queen Mira Badminton Academy heralds badminton excellence for Tamil Nadu’s budding shuttlers.
“This academy is a collaborative initiative between QMIS and Celebrate Sports Foundation-Hyderabad and envisioned to create future champions. We can’t avoid sports. It is a joint responsibility of parents and schools to take care of a children’s physical fitness for a Fit India,” he added.
