Gaurav Khanna rejects criticism over Asian Para Games medal prediction as players seek inquiry
Indian para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna has defended his now-deleted Asian Para Games medal prediction and accused critics of trying to discredit him in a statement on 31 October 2026, after players sought action over the post at the Asian Para Games.
Khanna's social media prediction, briefly visible a day before the finals, forecast India would win 16 para badminton medals — two gold, six silver and eight bronze. India finished with 16 medals overall, taking three gold, five silver and eight bronze, a total that Khanna noted matched his overall tally; it was lower than India's 21 medals (four gold, four silver and 13 bronze) at the 2022 Asian Para Games.
India's para badminton chairman K Prabhakar Rao criticised the prediction, saying it had a negative psychological impact on the players and that he would take the matter to the Badminton Association of India and seek appropriate action. Six-time world champion Pramod Bhagat publicly expressed displeasure, calling Khanna's naming of individual athletes on the eve of the competition "extremely unprofessional and ethically wrong" and adding that "Statements like these risk creating tension at a crucial stage when athletes need support, not additional distractions." Khanna had predicted a silver for Bhagat; Bhagat finished second after losing to Nitesh Kumar in the SL3 final at Aichi-Nagoya.
Khanna, who runs a badminton academy in Lucknow, said the criticism was not raised immediately after the post appeared and questioned the timing of the allegations. "I am concerned that the public accusations, which began on 27 October, around one week after the briefly visible post were intended to divert attention from the documented irregularities I had raised with higher authorities after the Asian Para Games concluded. "The timing raises a serious concern that, upon learning of my representations, those concerned resorted to a misleading public narrative to discredit me and shift attention away from the main issues," he said in a statement to PTI.
He also challenged whether Bhagat could have seen the post during the short period it was online, citing the timing in India and Japan. "The post appeared at approximately 9pm IST on 22 October 2026 and was deleted within 2–3 minutes...Neither the BAI Chairman nor anyone else asked me about the post and there was no hue and cry from 22nd to 27th October, 2026. "Moreover, this corresponds to approximately 12:30 am in Japan on 23 October. If Pramod claims to have been disturbed by seeing it during that brief period...when and how he accessed it, whether he was viewing social media after midnight before his final, instead of resting and focusing on a match scheduled a few hours later?" he asked.
Khanna raised specific concerns about the team's selection process and named players he said were overlooked despite their rankings. "Why were Asian Top-Six players in respective events Chirag Baretha-Ammu Mohan–Shashank Kumar and Manisha Patel left out?...what action was taken on the deserving players' written representations?" he asked. "I have no hesitation in saying that even SAI and MYAS made a mistake by trusting the narratives and perceptions set by the concerned administration. "In my professional assessment, the failure to clarify the technical aspects to SAI and MYAS denied India at least four potential medal opportunities," he alleged.
Khanna added that criticism from Bhagat was linked to past disagreements, which he believes are now being used to target him. He maintained that the controversy over the brief post was being used to divert attention from the selection irregularities he had reported to higher authorities after the Games concluded.
Several players subsequently alleged the prediction had put them under pressure and formally sought an inquiry into Khanna's conduct from the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Ministry, while Rao said he would take up the matter with the Badminton Association of India and seek appropriate action.