Hyderabad : In its objective to support and hone the skills of budding sports talent, Hatsun Badminton Centre hosted Padma Shri and Dronacharya awardee, Mr. S. M Arif, for two days at its state-of-the-art Badminton centre in Thiruthangal, Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu.

Mr. S. M. Arif, popularly known as Arif Sahaab, is India’s former Chief National Badminton Coach, and has trained India’s eminent Badminton players like Pullela Gopichand, P.V.V Lakshmi, Jwala Gutta, Chetan Anand and many others.  He was the coach for the Indian team for Commonwealth Games in 1998 at Kuala Lampur, where India won two silver and two bronze medals for the first time. He also holds the honour of receiving the Meritorious Service award from World Badminton Federation in 1997 and the Lifetime achievement award from Khan Bahadur Babu Khan Foundation in 2012.

Since 1972, he is actively involved in training at Sports Authority of India and also provides coaching for Badminton at Hyderabad.

During his visit at the centre, Mr. S.M Arif interacted with the young Badminton enthusiasts and shared his expert guidance on how to ace in a competition against their opponents. He emphasized on hard work, discipline and mental preparedness which is key to having an edge over opponents.

Speaking to the students and their parents at the centre, Mr. S. M. Arif, said, “Having an experience of close to 50 years in field of Badminton and visiting more than 50 academies, my visit to Hatsun Badminton Centre was a unique experience. The environment at Hatsun Badminton Centre and the playing conditions makes it as one of the best choices for the players. The tabulation system, evaluation mechanism of strong and weak points and the day to day programme provided for the players is very progressive. I firmly believe that there would be many players from Hatsun Badminton Centre, who would be an asset for the country tomorrow.”

Mr.Ajith Haridas, Chief Mentor, Hatsun Badminton Centre said, “It was a wonderful opportunity for the students at Hatsun Badminton Centre to learn from one of India’s best coaches in Badminton. Hatsun Badminton Centre has emerged as one of the best in India in terms of facilities, top class coaches, coaching methodology combined with hosting events with who’s who from the world of Badminton. All of these play a role in the emergence of a champion from our nation.”