Our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI: The ambitious plan to produce an Olympian shuttler from Assam through the MES-DBA Academy is facing uncertainty as Olympian Dipankar Bhattacharjee considers stepping away from the project. The former badminton champion cited concerns over management conflicts as the primary reason for his potential withdrawal.
The MES-DBA, a joint venture between Modern English School (MES), Kahilipara, and the Dipankar OLY High-Performance Centre for Sports (DOHPCS), was announced recently, with plans to operate at the MES premises from January 10. However, disagreements have emerged over critical operational aspects, particularly concerning control over coaches and a few other issues.
Addressing the media, Bhattacharjee expressed dissatisfaction with MES’s insistence on controlling recruitment and coaching methodologies. “Recruitment and management of coaches, along with decision-making authority on coaching methodologies, are key to ensuring the academy becomes a centre of excellence. However, MES wants to keep control over it,” he stated.
He further alleged that MES had assured equal rights and a joint signatory arrangement but had failed to honour these promises.
Bhattacharjee also raised concerns about the proposed limited facilities for the academy. “MES wants to start the academy with limited facilities, which I feel will not help us at all to fulfill the dream of producing an Olympian by 2036. I am ready to provide full support, including the additional budget required to run the academy as apart from coaches, we also need sports science specialists, which are now essential in modern sports. I have already invested Rs 22 lakh into the project. However the recent approach of the MES authority jeopardizes my reputation, finances, and peace of mind,” he added.
Bhattacharjee further alleged that MES restricted entry for his wife and associate Vaidyanathan, into the badminton arena despite their significant roles in the academy.
Responding to these allegations, Pankaj Das, president of the Modern English School Trust Board (MESTB), clarified that Bhattacharjee’s wife and Vaidyanathan were welcome but claimed the issue arose from Bhattacharjee’s insistence that they manage operations in his absence, which MES found unacceptable.
Das also emphasized MES’s role in funding the coaches’ salaries, asserting that recruitment should therefore fall under their purview. “We support Bhattacharjee’s authority over coaching matters, but the agreement to form the academy is still under negotiation. We have exchanged multiple drafts of the agreement, incorporating suggested changes, but the process has not concluded,” Das explained.
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