Itanagar: Bamang Tago, an executive member of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) from Arunachal Pradesh, has been appointed as the Team Manager for the 28-member Indian contingent participating in the Daihatsu Japan Open HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750.
The prestigious badminton tournament is set to begin on July 25 in Tokyo.
The Indian contingent consists of 15 athletes, six coaches, and an equal number of support staff members who have already arrived in Tokyo with their sights set on winning medals during the Daihatsu Japan Open HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750, which concludes on July 30.
This isn’t the first time Tago has taken on this role as he previously managed the Indian team during the All England Open World Tour Super 1000 held in Birmingham in March 2021.
The Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo will host the Japan Open tournament, offering a total prize purse of $850,000. This year’s Japan Open marks the 18th event of the 2023 BWF World Tour and is a significant part of the Japan Open championships, which have been held since 1977.
Among the Indian players, HS Prannoy holds the highest seed in the men’s singles category at No. 8, while the 2022 Commonwealth Games-winning doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are seeded third in their respective event. PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, will also be participating, aiming to regain her form as she faces Chinese Zhang Yi Man in the first round.
Other prominent names in the Indian contingent include former World No.1 Kidambi Srikanth, Thomas Cup winner Lakshya Sen, and doubles star Ashwini Ponappa, among others.
HS Prannoy, who secured his maiden BWF World Tour title at the Malaysia Masters in May, remains India’s top-ranked player despite dropping two spots to 10th. He will be facing unseeded Li Shi Feng of China in his opening match. Srikanth’s opening challenge will be against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, with a potential face-off against Prannoy in the quarterfinals, where they may confront top-seeded Viktor Axelsen.
Lakshya Sen, who opted out of the Korea Open after his recent victory at the Canada Open, will face fellow Indian, youngster Priyanshu Rajawat, in the opening round.
The Indian contingent also includes talented players like Sikki Reddy, Dhruv Kapila, Mithun Manjunath, Rohan Kapoor, Sumeeth Reddy, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Tanisha Crasto, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand, Kiran George, and Arjun Ramachandran.
Tago expressed confidence in the team’s performance, citing the guidance provided by the highly experienced national chief coach, Pullela Gopichand, and the dedication of the five other coaches.
He highlighted the significant progress made in Indian badminton under the leadership of president Himanta Biswa Sarma, including increased participation, improved infrastructure, and coaching.
Tago also emphasized that ongoing efforts are in place to bring about further reforms in the sport.
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