As a part of the reunion celebration of IIMA’s batch of 1989, Padma Bhushan P Gopichand was invited to speak at IIM-Ahmedabad on sports, nutrition, health and the requirement of a comprehensive emphasis on developing coaching facilities for various sports in India. As a famed badminton player and subsequently a coach for several players like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Parupalli Kashyap, Gopichand has a host of awards to his name, including the Padma Bhushan which was awarded to him in 2014.

He began his talk by reminiscing about the manner in which he took up badminton, and the difference in the sociocultural atmosphere from then to now. Inspired by the exploits of Kapil’s Devils in 1983, Gopichand, like a millions of other inspired children of that generation, wanted to play cricket too. Luck and a small logistical issue ensured that he picked up badminton instead. He also reminisced about the days in which he was coached as a player, and the paucity of proper sporting resources and facilities during the time of his career, which improved his game in its own way.

He described the advent of his coaching career and the obstacles that he faced while building the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy. “Make a good coach and he’ll serve you for 40 years in a sport. Develop a player, and you will have five-10 years,” he said.

The seasoned coach reflected on the philosophy of sport itself, and emphasised that medals, though are significant achievements in each sport, aren’t inherently equitable measures. Olympics, though a combination of their origins and history, have always incorporated multiple variants of sports that Europeans originally excelled at. While pitting ourselves against them is a reflection of sportsmanship, the number of medals that we win is not a reflection of the country’s greatness. However, he emphasized that while the hunger to win is desirable, every person who took the decision to stay fit by is a winner in oneself.