TOPS approves financial assistance to re-hire Mathias Boe as India's doubles coach

In a bid to strengthen Asian Games and Commonwealth Games preparations, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme has approved financial assistance of Rs 7 lakh per month to re-hire Mathias Boe as the doubles badminton coach of India.

Boe will specifically be looking after the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and also other members of the doubles team. Boe’s hiring has been done until Asian Games 2022.

In a Mission Olympic Cell meeting on Thursday, proposals from the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to assist in the participation of shuttlers at the Asian Championships in Philippines scheduled to start 26 April, were also approved.

The support has been extended to women’s singles player Aakarshi Kashyap, women’s doubles pair Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam, mixed doubles pairing of Tanisha Crasto and Ishaan Bhatnagar, men’s doubles pair Vishnuvardhan Goud P and Krishna Prasad as well as Arjun M R and Dhruv Kapila.

Currently ranked 52 in the world, Aakarshi has been included in the CWG and the Asian Games squad.

Looking forward to the tournament in Philippines scheduled for next week, Aakarshi said, “I am very thankful to TOPS because they accepted my request for assistance at the last minute.

“I have a tough draw there as I’m playing Akane Yamaguchi in the first round. I’ll try my best but the more matches I play, the more exposure I get and it all helps for the bigger cause.”

Revealing her ambitions for the upcoming tournaments, the B.A. 3rd year student added, “I feel proud to have played many tournaments in the international circuit and I have the much-needed exposure.

“I really feel I can get a medal for India from the CWG and I’m also looking forward to giving my best at the Asian Games.”

The Target Olympic Podium Scheme meanwhile also accepted the request from Olympics double medallist PV Sindhu to provide assistance to Vidhi Chaudhary, who will accompany the player at the Asian Championship in Philippines, in the place of existing coach Park Tae Sang.

The Korean coach is currently on annual leave till May. Chaudhary is a NIS qualified coach who is training Sindhu at the Suchitra Academy Hyderabad.

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