Indian para badminton coach hits back after players seek action over medal prediction

Indian para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna has rejected allegations that his Asian Para Games medal prediction affected players' morale, alleging that the controversy is an attempt to discredit him after he flagged irregularities in team selection.Indian para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna defends medal prediction, flags selection irregularities. (Image: Instagram/@pramod.bhagat8, @gauravparacoach)New Delhi,Oct 31, 2026 12:11 ISTIndian para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna has defended his now-deleted Asian Para Games medal prediction, rejecting allegations that it affected the players' morale and accusing those behind the criticism of trying to discredit him over his objections to team selection.Khanna said the controversy surrounding his social media post was being used to divert attention from what he described as irregularities in the selection process. He claimed that the allegations surfaced only after he had approached the authorities with his concerns following the conclusion of the Games.MEDAL PREDICTION ROWThe post, which was briefly visible a day before the finals, predicted that India would finish with 16 medals in para badminton, including two gold, six silver and eight bronze. India eventually matched that overall tally, winning three gold, five silver and eight bronze medals.The medal count, however, was lower than India's return of 21 medals (four gold, four silver and 13 bronze) at the 2022 Asian Para Games. Several players subsequently alleged that the prediction had put them under pressure during the competition and sought an inquiry into Khanna's conduct from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Sports Ministry. 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.The coach's response follows criticism from India's para badminton chairman K Prabhakar Rao, who alleged that the prediction had a negative psychological impact on the players. Rao had also said he would take up the matter with the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and seek appropriate action.BHAGAT QUESTIONS POSTSix-time world champion Pramod Bhagat was among those who expressed displeasure over the post. Khanna had predicted a silver medal for Bhagat, who went on to finish second after losing to Nitesh Kumar in the SL3 final at Aichi-Nagoya.Bhagat had criticised the coach for naming individual athletes in his medal prediction on the eve of the competition's conclusion, describing the move as "extremely unprofessional and ethically wrong"."Statements like these risk creating tension at a crucial stage when athletes need support, not additional distractions," he had said.Khanna hit back by questioning whether Bhagat could have seen the post during the brief period it was available, given that it was published late at night in Japan and deleted within minutes."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 FLAGS SELECTIONKhanna also questioned the selection of India's squad, claiming that several players with strong rankings in Asia had been overlooked despite submitting representations to the authorities."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.He further alleged that the selection-related issues had cost India opportunities to add to its medal tally, arguing that the technical aspects of the matter were not adequately explained to the authorities."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 maintained that the criticism from Bhagat was also linked to past disagreements, which he believes are now being used to target him.- Ends