India's top badminton players funded their own four-tournament European swing — covering Finland, Denmark, France and Germany — after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) did not release the contingent's funding, according to a report in The Indian Express published on November 3.

Source: The Indian Express via MyKhel

Players were informed of the decision only days before the Arctic Open began in Vantaa, Finland, on October 6, leaving them little time to make alternative arrangements. Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu told The Indian Express she was shocked when she learnt the funding had not come through, saying she had never faced such a situation before, and that she managed part of the expenses herself with support from Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ).

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) offered to arrange accommodation for the opening tournament in Finland, but players had to bear travel, food and lodging costs for the remaining events, the report said. Several players competed without their regular coaches because they could not afford the extra travel and stay, and withdrawals mounted through the swing — six players pulled out of the Denmark Open, seven from the French Open and nine from the Hylo Open, according to the report.

On court, the swing still produced results the site has already reported: Ashmita Chaliha beat world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi at the French Open with teammate Isharani Baruah helping in her corner, Tanvi Sharma reached the Denmark Open quarter-finals without a coach, and on November 1 Sindhu and Lakshya Sen won the women's and men's singles titles at the Hylo Open in Saarbrücken, Germany.

SAI blames a missed deadline; BAI seeks clarity

A senior SAI official told The Indian Express the funding was not released because BAI failed to submit its proposal, including player names, within the stipulated timeline. SAI said its guidelines — revised from 90 and then 60 days down to 30 days after federations said the earlier deadlines were difficult — require proposals at least 30 days before a tournament, and that the rule applies uniformly to all federations. The official denied the decision was linked to India's Asian Games performance in Aichi-Nagoya, where the shuttlers won no individual medal for the first time since 2014 — a link some badminton administrators had alleged, according to the report.

BAI, for its part, said it was not aware of any such revised guidelines or the 30-day deadline and that it was seeking clarity from SAI, MyKhel reported, citing Sports Ministry sources. Reports said SAI has restored funding for upcoming tournaments, but players will not be reimbursed for the expenses they incurred during the European campaign.

Sindhu defended athlete funding publicly on X on November 3, arguing that supporting players is a long-term investment in India's sporting future rather than a drain on the system. She contrasted a first-round exit at Wimbledon, which earns 80,000 pounds, with winning the China Open — one of badminton's richest tournaments — at USD 140,000, and a first-round badminton loss at USD 2,000, while travel, coach, physio and support-staff costs remain similar. 'I can find ways to fund my tour. But what about the 18-year-old chasing her dreams, hoping to become the next Sindhu or Lakshya?' she wrote, as reported by Nation Press.

Source: Nation Press