Hangzhou (China): Disheartened by the "shoddy manner" in which he has been treated by the state government and the Kerala Badminton (Shuttle) Association (KBSA), champion shuttler H S Prannoy said on Saturday that he has decided to shift base from Kerala to the neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The 31-year-old Prannoy made the announcement soon after winning a bronze in the men's singles event at the 19th Asian Games here on Friday. It was India's second medal in men's singles since Syed Modi claimed a bronze in the 1982 edition in New Delhi.
He alleged that the officials of the state sports department or the KBSA did not even bother to send him a congratulatory message when he won a medal at the BWF World Championships 2023 held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in August. Moreover, Prannoy has not yet received the Rs 2 lakh cash prize announced by the KBSA in May, 2022, after he played a key role in India's victory in the Thomas Cup badminton championship held in Bangkok. At the ongoing Asian Games, he has made the country proud by clinching two medals in the singles and team events, but the state government has been conspicuously silent on honouring him with cash incentives.
"I have always taken great pride in representing Kerala. I can no longer put up with the poor treatment meted out to me by the sports fraternity in the state, said Prannoy, the highest-ranked men's singles player in the country.
The Thiruvananthapuram native has received a No Objection Certificate from the KBSA that will enable him to represent Tamil Nadu in national-level events. Due to an injury, he has pulled out of the 37th edition of the National Games scheduled to be held in Goa from October 26 to November 9. According to Prannoy, he will be representing Tamil Nadu from the next Senior National Badminton Championship onwards.
