(Image source from: Include badminton doubles in TOP scheme - Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta})

Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta are more determined to prove that doubles is a potential medal-winner for India in the Rio Games, so that it will be included in the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme which would fund the country's leading medal hopefuls at the 2016 Olympics.
"I hope our Canadian Open triumph will make our government to realize that the doubles is in the potential medal-winning category for India at the 2016 Rio

Olympics," Ashwini said. "We have proved that we have the potential to win medals, but it is demoralizing, that the sports ministry has dropped doubles from their funding list for the Olympics," she added.

"Going into 2016 Games we have been doing well in all tournaments. We won silver at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, bronze at the Asian Championship and bronze at the Incheon Asian Games with partner PV Sindhu," she said.

"It's demoralizing for Jwala and me to play without the support. A lot of players are performing only because of government funding. We are really dependant on the government and this TOP scheme would have been a boost," she said. Ashwini said, "We have done whatever we could to convince the government through our badminton association. We can't keep running behind them. So now our only aim is to do well in Rio Games," she said.

By Premji