New Delhi: minister of sports Anurag Thakuro on Sunday announced a cash prize of Rs 1 crore to the Indian men’s badminton team that made history by winning the coveted Thomas Cup title for the first time.
India wrote a spectacular 3-0 victory over 14-time champions Indonesia in the Thomas Cup final in Bangkok on Sunday.
India’s extraordinary achievement in winning the Thomas Cup with consecutive wins over Malaysia, Denmark and Indonesia in the play-offs called for a relaxation of the rules,” Thakur said in a statement.
“I am proud to announce the award of Rs 1 crore to the team that the Indians are so happy about this weekend.
Thakur congratulated the Indian team’s players, coaches and support staff for the historic victory.
Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy kept a clean sheet by winning every time they stepped on the field. The doubles combination of SatwiksairakjRankireddy and Chirag Shetty raised the bar, winning decisive points in five out of six matches, including all three in the knockout stages,” he said.
“Lakshya Sen showed nerves of steel in winning the opening match against Indonesia. I am sure that the combination of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila ad Krishna Prasad Garaga and Panjala Vishnuvardhan Gold as Priyanshu Rajawat will have won hugely by being part of this historic campaign.”
The Ministry of Sports said it has contributed to the team’s unprecedented success by providing training and match support to the players.
“A 10-week national camp that began in January helped boost players’ fitness levels. The support to bring in Mathias Boe as coach to assist the doubles combinations has also been significant,” the statement said.
“Over the past four years, the ministry has provided funding worth Rs 67.19 crore to the Indian badminton players for training and competition, including salaries of foreign and Indian coaches.
“And in the past year alone, the ministry has supported as many as 14 international exposure trips at a cost of Rs 4.50 crore.” PTIA
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