“You Are Making Them Like Gladiators”: Leroy D’Sa Slams Gruelling Asian Games Schedule, Questions BWF’s Player-Friendly Claims | EXCLUSIVE

New Delhi, Sep 28: It's 10 a.m. in Japan and 7:30 a.m. in India. Nearly 24 hours have passed, and as the dust settles, the curtains have come down on India's badminton campaign at the Asian Games 2026.

The end has not been on the positive side as India would have hoped, given the performance in the last Asian Games. In Hangzhou, India had three medals in its kitty: the bronze medal of HS Prannoy, the silver medal of the men's team, and the historic gold medal of Satwik-Chirag.

But this time around, India's campaign yielded just a single medal, a bronze in the men's team event. Beyond that, there was little to celebrate, with the Indian contingent unable to add to its medal tally.

The problem of finishing has come to the forefront, with all the women's singles and doubles facing those problems. But beyond these tactical qualms, fingers have been raised towards the organisers, who have been blamed for scheduling back-to-back matches for Indian shuttlers.

To understand the implications of these scheduling problems and get a holistic understanding of the performance of the Indian badminton contingent, myKhel spoke to Leroy D'Sa, someone who has won laurels for the country at the continental level.

"Players Require Recovery Period"- Former Indian Badminton Player Flags

The former Indian player was upfront with the problems of scheduling and said that such playing rosters are not conducive for any shuttler, be it from India or from any other country. The problem of scheduling was reflected in themen'ss singles game as well, where Indonesia's Jonatan Christie gassed out. He also pointed out the recovery time that shuttlers require after the completion of the match.

The Asian Games bronze medalist further said that the Indian contingent was at the receiving end because of this botched-up schedule.

"Unnati Hooda played a marathon match against the Malaysian player and then had another marathon match. Sindhu also played a great match at night and then had another match the next morning," he said.

Leroy D'Sa also challenged the Badminton World Federation's assertion that it had taken steps to make the sport more accessible and manageable for shuttlers.

"The Badminton World Federation talks about making tournaments player-friendly. I don't think this was player-friendly. It was absolute rubbish. You cannot have players being treated like gladiators. This is not done," he said.

Asian Games: Coaches Deserve Applause

The former Indian player also spoke on the incredible back-breaking work that the Indian coaches have put in when it comes to the run-up to the Asian Games.

The players' performances reflected the quality of work done by the coaching staff, with reaching the Asian Games quarter-finals being a significant achievement given the strength of the field.

The mixed doubles pair, in particular, showed considerable improvement, including a narrow win over Malaysia in the previous round. Their performance was seen as a testament to the coaches' efforts.

However, having come close to advancing further, the focus now would be on improving their ability to stay composed and finish matches in crucial moments. While coaches can provide motivation and guidance, players ultimately need the mental strength to overcome doubt and close out tight contests.