Extensive media coverage of the achievements of sports-persons would motivate them to excel in their game, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal said in Hyderabad.
"I was not happy with the coverage I got after I lost in the quarterfinals of (Beijing) Olympics. Similarly, many players in the country are doing well but they are not getting the kind of coverage they should get. Good media coverage would help the player achieve better results," Nehwal said after being felicitated by the Andhra Pradesh Sports Journalists Association (APSJA) here.
Citing examples of boxer Vijender Kumar and other sports-persons she regretted that the news about their achievements appear only in a few columns.
National Badminton coach P Gopichand said that while the English football matches were covered extensively, Indian sports news do not find adequate coverage.
"District-level and even state-level tournaments are not given due importance these days. There are several players who have quit the game because they did not get due recognition," he said.
Saina's father Harvir Singh said that more media coverage would create wonders with budding players and motivate them to excel in their game.
M K Meena, MD of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), congratulated Saina on her recent achievements in international badminton. PTI
