Badminton Association of Telangana’s new decision-making body elected unanimously

Telangana minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu was unanimously elected as president of the Badminton Association of Telangana for 2026-2030 at its general body meeting at the Kotak Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, on Tuesday. The new executive committee of the association was elected unanimously.

Indian badminton coach Pullela Gopichand was elected as secretary and Kanuri Vamsidhar as treasurer. The vice presidents are Y Upender Rao, V Chamundeswara Nath, G Venkata Rao, P Ramesh Reddy and Srinivas Uppala.  L Ravi Kumar, P Manoj Kumar, M Jithender Reddy and U V N Babu were elected as joint secretaries. While Lakshman Kosaraju was nominated as advisor. The executive members elected are P Ram Mohan Rao, Thota Ranga Rao, K Sreenivasa Rao, Pulluri Sudhakar and Kolli Naga Veni.

Lack of representation for women and former players

For a sport which has gained prominence due to women players like Saina Nehwal, P V Sindhu, Jwala Gutta to name a few, it is quite surprising that the representation of women in the association’s decision-making body is almost negligible. Out of the 17 members only one woman has found representation on the body, which is supposed to run the affairs of badminton in the state of Telangana. Kolli Naga Veni is an EC member and not even an office-bearer.

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Apart from Gopichand and P Manoj Kumar, there are no other former international or state badminton players in the body. Where are the former players? Are they not good enough to serve on the decision-making body of the association?

Govt committed to develop Telangana into sports hub

Sridhar Babu said that the government is taking concrete steps to develop Telangana into a prominent sports hub in the country. He said the government is giving special priority to the development of sports in the state.

Sridhar Babu noted that along with providing modern infrastructure for sportspersons, the government is moving forward with the establishment of a sports university. He added that long-term plans are being prepared with the objective of creating better opportunities for young athletes.

Gopichand expressed happiness over the achievements of badminton players from the state at national and international levels. He said that with discipline, dedication, and by taking both victory and defeat in stride, players can reach greater heights. He expressed confidence that the initiatives being taken by the government would yield better results in the future.

The meeting also discussed measures for sports development, expansion of training facilities for young players, and conduct of district-level tournaments. It was resolved to work collectively to produce more national and international level players from Telangana.

Newly elected body: President: D Sridhar Babu. Vice presidents: Y Upender Rao, V Chamundeswara Nath, G Venkata Rao, P Ramesh Reddy and Srinivas Uppala. Secretary: Pullela Gopichand. Joint secretaries: P Manoj Kumar, M Jitender Reddy and UVN Babu. Treasurer: Kanuri Vamsidhar. Advisor: Lakshman Kosaraju. Executive members: P Ram Mohan Rao, Thota Ranga Rao, K Sreenivasa Rao, Pulluri Sudhakar and Kolli Naga Veni.