Pullela Gopichand explains statement advising youngsters to avoid sport as career unless rich: 'Be careful, think twice'

Badminton legend Pullela Gopichand’s recent statement advising young Indians to not pursue a career in sport unless they came from a wealthy background led to raised eyebrows. “We are not in a position to offer sports as a career,” Gopichand told The Times of India.

The Dronacharya Award-recipient, however, has since explained his stance. Speaking to The Indian Express, Gopichand said that his statement wasn’t meant to dissuade youngsters from taking up sport as a profession, but a criticism of the system that has been failing the athletes time and time again.

Gopichand, who has taken to a career in coaching after a stellar career as a player, added that several shuttlers have approached him after struggling to find a job, or are treated badly even if they do find one.

The 51-year-old added that it was difficult for him to see athletes struggle to make a decent living, while adding that only a handful of sportspersons – especially those in sports other than cricket – were able to earn big after rising to the elite level.

“Numbers of those pursuing sport over the last ten years are big, while the opportunities to succeed at the elite levels are very limited. I see players across sports giving up education and focusing on sport full-time. If you look at someone like Tanisha Crasto or Treesa Jolly, they are giving it their all. But when they come and ask me “koi job hai?”, it saddens me.

“Look at even top players, Lakshya only got a job a year and half back. Satwik-Chirag also had to win many titles before they were considered,” Gopichand told the newspaper.

Gopichand added that he was ultimately advising aspiring athletes coming from a humble background to be more careful and “think twice” before taking up sport as a profession.

“All I’m saying is “be careful, think twice’ to middle class parents. The sensationalism of my quote might get hated, but think calmly.

“Rich kids, we don’t need to worry about. But if you are a middle class parent, where you value financial security, investing everything into sport is a big risk,” Gopichand added.