Prakash Padukone after stepping away from Padukone academy: ‘Not easy decision, arrived at after considerable reflection’

Padukone, 70, will scale back on elite coaching, and focus on expanding his other dream venture – the Padukone School of Badminton that is geared towards broadbasing the sport. “Going forward, my focus will be on strengthening the Padukone School of Badminton and contributing to the growth of badminton at the grassroots level,” he said.

With the support system for badminton being near non-existent in the 90s, Padukone had started PPBA, alongside Vimal Kumar and Vivek Kumar. Players including Aparna Popat, Anup Sridhar, Aravind Bhat, Ajay Jayaram and more recently Lakshya Sen – some of them Olympians, originally emerged from the facility, which moved to the outskirts of the city a few years ago. The likes of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, who started at the Gopichand academy and found early success, have had stints at PPBA, to further hone skills. Future big hope Ayush Shetty, who moved from feeder I-Sport academy, is also training at CBE.

The former All England champ and World’s bronze winner, said he arrived at the decision after careful consideration befitting ending a long association. “This has not been an easy decision; it is one I arrived at after considerable reflection and after carefully weighing all the pros and cons,” Padukone said.

On the same date in October, the Academy was renamed and is now known as the _Centre for Badminton Excellence_(CBE),” he said. The statement added that the Centre continued to operate from its existing location at the _Centre for Sports Excellence_ (CSE), Bengaluru.

“The existing coaching team continues unchanged, and the leadership of the Centre has been assumed by Mr. Vimal Kumar and Mr. Vivek Kumar. It has been a privilege to work alongside the coaching teams, athletes, and partners over the past 3 decades. I remain deeply grateful for the trust and collaboration extended to me. I am sure that the CBE will continue its pursuit of developing world-class badminton players for India, and I extend my best wishes to the leadership team and athletes,” Padukone added.

Emotional parting

For Vimal Kumar, it was an emotional parting with a dear friend, though in business terms, it amounts only to a rebranding. “Two months ago, Prakash decided he will not be involved in the Excellence program. He wanted to focus full-time on his new venture. When we started the concept in 1994, it was the earliest private academy for badminton all over the world because the sport had no support. Everyone from Apana, Dipankar, Gopi have been here. How time flies,” he reminisced.

While Padukone pushing 70 had been stepping away from active coaching for a few years now, he had re-ignited a dream guiding Lakshya Sen to Olympics semifinals. Vimal, running daily operations, continues to show up at 6 a.m on the premises which also host world-class training centres for swimming and football.

“Everything including coaches stays same,” Vimal said. In a statement he confirmed: “The Centre will continue to operate from the Centre for Sports Excellence, Bangalore, with its current coaching team led by Mr. Vimal Kumar and supported by Mr. Sagar Chopda, Mr. D.K. Sen, Mr. Umendra Singh Rana, and international coaches Mr. Yong Sung Yoo and Mr. Irwansyah.”

Vimal recalled the heady times when Bangalore was the centre of change in Indian badminton. “Prakash took on the Badminton Association and formed the Indian Badminton Confederation in 1997, and I started the players association as we tried to improve the sport. Then things settled down,” he recalled. The focus shifted within a decade as Hyderabad’s Gopichand academy started producing top players, and the two southern metros became hubs of elite excellence in the sport.
Top shuttlers, camped at CBE currently include Lakshya Sen, P.V. Sindhu, Ayush Shetty, Kiran George, Devika Sihag, and Isharani Barua, along with 50 other emerging talents, who will continue to train at the Centre.