SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 12: K Prabhakar Rao of Jharkhand has been nominated as manager-cum- coach of the 40-member Indian team for the Para-Badminton Asian Games to be held in China from October 18 to October 28.
K Prabhakar Rao is the secretary of the Jharkhand Badminton Association (JBA), joint secretary of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and the chairman of India Para-Badminton.
Rao was also the manager-cum- coach of the Indian Paralympics badminton contingent in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in which for the first time country’s squad secured two gold, one silver and four bronze.
A senior official of the Jharkhand Badminton Association, giving this information from Jamshedpur, said that K Prabhakar Rao has been an integral part of Indian badminton for many years and has made significant contributions to the sport. He has helped many players achieve their mission and participate in the Indian badminton championship.
“Having seen his contribution, experience, leadership quality, and guidance, he has been made manager cum coach”, said the official.
He was the first from East India to be the chairman of Para-Badminton India. Besides, he is also serving the BAI as a joint secretary.
When contacted on Thursday Rao expressed confidence in the team’s abilities and said that he is expecting to win 14 medals in badminton. He also announced that head coach Gourav Khanna and assistant coach Murli Krishna will be coaching the team, with additional supporting staff.
