SAI halts funding for Indian shuttlers’ four-tournament European swing; Sindhu and Sen win Hylo Open
Indian shuttlers were informed just days before the Arctic Open in Finland on October 6 that the Sports Authority of India would not release funding for the four-tournament European swing covering events in Finland, Denmark, France and Germany, leaving players to meet their own expenses; despite that, PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen won the women’s and men’s singles at the Hylo Open in Germany on November 1.
The withdrawal of grant support was reported by The Indian Express as coming amid an administrative dispute between the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Badminton Association of India (BAI), with some officials linking the move to India’s Asian Games performance—a suggestion SAI rejected. Players were said to have been notified only days before the Arctic Open began, affecting planning for travel and accommodation across the four-week European schedule. The tour sequence included the Arctic Open, the Denmark Open, the French Open and culminated at the Hylo Open in Germany.
A senior SAI official told reporters that BAI had failed to submit its funding proposal within a revised 30-day deadline; the official noted the earlier requirement of 90 days without player names and 60 days with names had been reduced to 30 days but that the necessary proposal was still not received on time.
The funding gap forced several players to cover their own costs and, in some cases, compete without their regular coaches because they could not afford additional expenses. At the French Open Ashmita Chaliha had Isharani Baruah in her corner instead of a coach, and Tanvi Sharma—who reached the quarter-finals at the Denmark Open—also competed without her coach present.
Participation on the tour reflected the financial disruptions: India’s 26-member contingent competed at the Arctic Open without withdrawals, while six players pulled out of the Denmark Open, seven withdrew from the French Open and nine did not take part in the Hylo Open.
Indian shuttlers still produced notable results during the swing: Sindhu reached the final of the French Open Super 750 before losing to South Korea’s An Se-young, Ashmita Chaliha recorded a win over world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi, and Anmol Kharb reached the semi-finals of the Hylo Open. In Germany, Lakshya Sen beat Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 to claim what was reported as his first title in a year, and Sindhu defeated Line Kjærsfeldt 21-12, 21-14 to secure her second title of the season.
A tweet included in coverage stated: "Mr. Kannan, with all due respect, I don’t think your tweet fully captures the reality of professional badminton.A first-round exit at Wimbledon earns £80,000. Winning the China Open, one of badminton’s richest tournaments, earns $140,000. Lose in the first round? Just $2,000.… https://t.co/Kl1Eu74uG7"
SAI has indicated that financial support for upcoming tournaments will resume, but the authority has also confirmed that players will not be reimbursed for expenses they incurred during the four-week European tour.