Andhra CM announces ?50 lakh cash reward for Srikanth
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced a ?50-lakh cash reward and a 1,000-square-yard plot in the Amaravati region for shuttler Kidambi Srikanth after his Indonesia Open and Australian Open triumphs. The CM also presented ?15 lakh to Srikanth's coach, Pullela Gopichand. Notably, Srikanth became the first Indian badminton player to win two back-to-back Superseries titles.
After shuttler Kidambi Srikanth beat world and Olympic Champion Chen Long to win Australian Open Super Series last week, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday announced for the sportstar a cash award of Rs 50 lakh, 1,000 square yards house site in the Amaravati capital region and Group I post.Srikanth became the first Indian badminton player to win back-to-back Super Series titles.Naidu said Srikanth was an inspiration for young players to win international medals. Indonesia and Australia Open Super Series winner Srikanth was felicitated at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram. Participating as chief guest, Naidu played badminton on the dais with the racket presented by Srikanth to him before the start of the programme.SRIKANTH's COACH PRESENTED Rs 15 LAKH   The chief minister also presented Rs 15 lakh to Srikanth's coach Pullela Gopichand.Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said, "Equal importance should be given to all sports. I allotted 5 acres of land for the Gopichand Sports Academy in Hyderabad, which gave a boost to the growth of badminton in the region and produced international players." The chief minister said that a sports university would be set up in Amaravati.Meanwhile, Srikanth said that he won the series due to the training provided in the Gopichand Academy. Srikanth's mother Radhamukunda thanked the chief minister for her son's success.Minister for Sports Kollu Ravindra, and other Andhra Pradesh Ministers Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Prattipati pulla Rao and others were also present on the occasion.Also read | Happy with my performance: Srikanth after winning Australian Open Super Series