Don't Make Olympic Qualification Primary Goal, Focus On Process: Pullela Gopichand

Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand on Tuesday advised Indian players to not to obsess over Paris Olympic qualification, urging them to focus on the process without taking "unnecessary pressure". Paris berths will be sealed on April 28 when the Olympic qualification rankings are out with singles players inside the top 16 making the cut. "I think Olympics is still a long way. There are still about eight tournaments to play. I don't think it's right to go after that as a player," Gopichand told reporters. "I think it's too much pressure unnecessarily to start thinking about the race to Paris as a primary role.

"I think it's important to stick to the process, I think the points, the rankings, and the qualification will take care of itself. That's how I would want the players to look at it.

"Because everybody is asking the same question. Everyone's saying the big one is Paris. I think if you do the right things every day, Paris will come and we won't have a problem." Men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankiredddy and Chirag Shetty and singles ace HS Prannoy are almost assured of a Paris berth.

Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth are also fighting for the second spot in men's singles.

While double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu is scripting a comeback from injury, women's doubles pairs -- Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, and Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto -- are also fighting to be inside the top 16 by April.

"As a coach, it's important that you keep pushing the players, and you expect more from the players," Gopichand continued.

"We've had a great year, we had some very good wins in events that matter whether it's World Championships, whether it's the Asian Games, I think we did well there.

"This year the big one is