India's Thomas Cup 2026 Bronze Ignored Amid Cricket Frenzy; Players Call Out Lack of Recognition
In the middle of 'India ka tyohar' or the Indian Premier League, India lost sight of a major badminton achievement.
In the middle of 'India ka tyohar' or the Indian Premier League, India lost sight of a major badminton achievement. The bronze medal-winning Thomas Cup team is elated with their achievement but rue the lack of recognition by India's sports ecosystem. India are back on the podium at the Thomas Cup with a bronze in 2026, four years after the gold that changed Indian badminton forever. Last week, led by Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India reached the semifinals before going down to France. However, the homecoming felt flat.
India's doubles hero Chirag Shetty said in a press conference organised by the Sports Authority of India, "Well, yeah, I think I never expected someone to come to the airport and receive us. But having said that, I think the last time when we won the Thomas Cup, I think a lot of people... we did get a reception. But apart from that, I think the way I feel, it's totally our thing. The people who actually watch badminton and know about the sport, they knew how big the tournament was. But the general public, I feel, didn't really know the magnitude of the result. And that sometimes really makes me sad because we are not a sporting nation as yet. And yes, we win medals, but we don't celebrate our athletes the way we should. I think there's plenty more that we need to do. The ecosystem needs to start celebrating sporting achievements. And I think, yes, sporting achievements should get the rightful due that they deserve."
Both Chirag and HS Prannoy were a part of the 2022 gold medal-winning team, and now the bronze.
He echoes the sentiment, "Unfortunately, the tournament's name is the Thomas Cup; people don't know it's a World Cup. Once you do it and when there is not enough recognition given to that, then it is very tough for the players to be convinced every single time to do this. Because they always think, what is the value of doing this? We are spending almost two and a half to three weeks out there, going out there and trying to build a team, which we are not used to. We are used to playing an individual sport 99% of the time. Why are we doing this? So, if you are not celebrating a bronze medal, a silver medal, or a gold medal, then I don't think going forward it would be easier to get these kinds of events. It is going to be really, really tough."
While the players did draw contrasts with cricket and how every achievement-from U-19 to IPL, let alone the World Cup-is celebrated, they meant it. While there is a difference between televised and non-televised sport, the lack of support remains a real issue. Both Chirag and Prannoy were scathing about the lack of celebration and support. They did not mince words in trying to project what it may mean for Indian badminton in the future.
Chirag Shetty