Gopichand's advice to Olympic bound shuttlers: Focus only on your game

THE INDIAN BADMINTON CONTINGENT are all set for their Olympic showdown. They begin their journey from 11th August and national chief coach Pullela Gopichand has just one advice for them.

"I remember in my first Olympics (2000 in Sydney) when a lot of big stars were showing a lot of interest in petty things like pins, souvenirs, getting carried away by the aura of the Games Village where you see some of the greatest athletes walking around. Even the huge dining hall in the Games Village is a big distraction because of the varieties served there," said to Sportskeeda.

"So, I sincerely advise this squad to stay away from all distractions including social networking sites at least during Olympics. They can really be a major hindrance in staying focused, especially, if you are an extrovert and trying to share your ‘moments’ on these sites."

He further spoke on how the training programs are in full swing and that he is happy with all the shuttlers giving their best.

"As far training programmes are concerned, they are spot on. I am glad that each one of them is really putting in lot of hard work. They are all definitely very focused and working on lot of things to get the desired results. Those who are making their Olympics debut are also experienced enough to handle the pressure and aura of such an event."