Gopichand denies allegations of 'favouritism'

MUMBAI: Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand on Wednesday urged the Bombay High Court to dismiss the petition filed by shuttler Prajakta Sawant, terming her application as "false, malicious and vexatious".
Denying allegations of favoritism towards certain badminton players during selection of national team, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and Gopichand alleged that Sawant and her father had made wild allegations in a letter and even threatened to commit suicide.Gopichand alleged that he and his mother, and administrator at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy were being harassed by the duo and urged the court to look into this.
"Partners are chosen by the players themselves. The coach has no role to play in this. The petitioner was a very promising young prospect whom I was grooming since 2009. I bear no grudge or ill will towards her," said Gopichand, adding, "The Badminton Association of India runs national camps at PGBA and other such private training camps across India. The selection process is conducted by the selection committee comprising nine representatives headed by BAI's president," the affidavit states.
"It is mandatory requirement as per government guidelines that the chief national coach be a member of the selection committee. The selection is based on merit and performance and no partiality or bias is shown towards any player. The final selection is cleared by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports," the BAI said in its affidavit.
The case is scheduled to come up for further hearing on January 24, 2012.