Pullela Gopichand – The Founder

Born on November 16th 1973, in Andhra Pradesh, India, Pullela Gopichand is a true story of hard work, dedication and determination for the game of Badminton. By the time he passed out of school in 1988, he had already made a mark in the Badminton field. However, education was not something to be left aside for this gentle sports person who completed his graduation in Economics from Hyderabad.

Gopichand has won many laurels for his sporting brilliance across the world and a host of International and national badminton championships including the famous all England Singles Title in 2001. He has tremendous respect for the rich and varied Indian culture and tradition. Gopichand is also a music lover and proficient in yoga and practices it in his spare time, which helps him relax and focus better.

With the right combination of mental strength and concentration, he took the sport of badminton in India to dizzying global heights. But he always cherished a dream of giving back to the society and thus was born the Gopichand Badminton Academy.The government recognized his sporting brilliance and achievements and conferred the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (the highest award for sports-person in India), Arjuna Award and prestigious Padma Shree Award to this sporting great from Andhra Pradesh. The Government also appointed him as Chief Coach for Badminton in India in 2006.

In his 10-year illustrious sporting career, he won a lot of prestigious Badminton tournaments across the world that includes Toulouse Open, Scottish Open and German Masters. He represented the nation at various SAARC tournaments, Thomas Cup, Commonwealth Games and Sydney Olympic Games besides the World Championships. Gopichand was ranked among Top 10 Players with the best ranking of No. 4.