Administrative delays reportedly led to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) not approving funds for the participation of top Indian badminton players, led by PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, in the recent European swing of tournaments which ended with both the India No.1 players crowned champions at the Hylo Open in Staarbrucken, Germany on Sunday.
The issue has sparked a controversy over players being left to organise their own finances for the trip that involved tournaments in four countries – Finland, Denmark, France and Germany. However, it is learnt that the Badminton Association of India (BAI) did not receive Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) clearance in time because it delayed sending the list of tournaments for approval.
A SAI official said the tournaments were not part of the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) of the BAI that is approved by it.
“These three competitions were not presented during ACTC and hence did not have ACTC approval. However, SAI approves the participation of athletes in competitions beyond ACTC as well. The timeline for submission of such proposals by the federation is 30 days prior to the event. The federation was unable to send the proposal for the participation of athletes 30 days before the event, as stipulated under the norms. The proposal could, therefore, not be processed in time for the release of funds. The federation was informed about this well in time,” a SAI official aware of the development said.
Federations must submit their travel and participation plans well in advance for clearance. SAI has reduced the deadline for submission of itinerary from 60 days earlier to 30 days, but some federations still don’t adhere to the guidelines, the official said. “There is no funding cut for elite badminton athletes,” the official added.
When contacted, BAI did not offer a comment. However, a person privy to the issue said that when the ACTC budget was being decided in December 2025, it was planned only till the Asian Games as the government wanted to focus on the premier continental competition. Allocation of funds for events after the Asiad were to be reviewed later.
“They said it will happen, but things kept getting delayed,” said an official. As funds were not released, BAI sponsored India’s campaign at the World Junior Championships in mid-October, after the Asiad.
For the European tournaments, BAI reportedly sent the itinerary to SAI for release of funds 30-35 days in advance, but the latter had sought more details such as MNQ (main draw and qualifying), which, unlike in the past, the organisers release only just before the tournament. When the MNQ came out, it was too late for the release of funds.
“Discussions are still on with the government, SAI, TOPS,” he said. “The federation cannot blame the government for obvious reasons.”
In a social media post, Sindhu said not promptly receiving funds affects young shuttlers more as they are dependent on the funding.
“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? You’ll see that younger players had to compete without coaches, while several withdrew from tournaments,” she said in a post on X.
She added that while established athletes should strive to be financially independent and that she has been fortunate to have sponsors, not everyone has that privilege.