Bengaluru, 24 April 2023: Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd (“KMBL” / “Bank”) and its CSR associate Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation, today announced the launch of “Kotak Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy”, a world-class badminton training Centre at Gachibowli, Telangana. The launch was attended by Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation’s Pullela Gopichand, Founder Trustee and India’s National Coach, L.V. Subrahmanyam, Trustee and Kotak Mahindra Bank’s Shanti Ekambaram, Whole-Time Director and Jaimin Bhat, Group President and Group Chief Financial Officer.
The newly launched state-of-the-art badminton centre is part of KMBL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Project on sports and has been developed with the shared vision of the Bank and Indian badminton legend, Pullela Gopichand – the founder trustee of Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation of bringing more laurels to India in the field of Badminton. The badminton training centre offers advanced infrastructure and amenities, along with international-level coaches to provide top-notch training to aspiring and acclaimed athletes.
In 2019, Kotak Mahindra Bank announced its CSR Project in Sports in collaboration with Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation (Foundation) to develop a world-class training facility for Indian badminton players. The launch of this new training facility is a significant milestone for both organisations, marking the beginning of their journey towards achieving their shared vision of developing exceptional athletes and coaches in the country.
Shanti Ekambaram, Whole-time Director, of Kotak Mahindra Bank said, “Kotak Mahindra Bank and Pullela Gopichand share a common vision of nurturing world-class badminton players from India and strengthening sports infrastructure and avenues for the future youth of the country. Our CSR efforts focus on making quality education, livelihood, environment and sports, available to all, regardless of their economic background. We are proud to associate with Pullela Gopichand and his foundation which is dedicated to supporting athletes and the growing passion for sports in the country.
Pullela Gopichand, Indian National Coach & Founder Trustee of Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation said, “The current badminton training facility has the legacy of producing global champions who have brought laurels for India in major championships from Olympics to Commonwealth games among several others. Since its inception 15 years ago, the academy has become an aspirational facility for potential players from deeper pockets across the country. Further, to support the accelerated growth of sports in India, the new-Kotak Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy will offer advanced infrastructure and amenities and Coach development that will elevate badminton training to international standards for our players. We are grateful for Kotak Mahindra Bank’s CSR funding support on this journey leading towards achieving excellence in sports.”
Amenities offered at Kotak-Pullela Gopichand Badminton Training Facility in Hyderabad:
High-performance training centre comprising six air-conditioned badminton courts
Sports Science Centre with top-quality resident nutritionists, physiotherapists, and strength and conditioning experts on board for the all-around development of players
Top-quality training and coaching facilities at par with global standards
Fellowship Programmes for economically backward coaches and players, within and outside the academy, who have the potential to make it big Coach Certification Programme for yesteryear sportspersons to expand the reach of badminton training across India
The collaboration is a testament to the commitment of both organizations to contribute to the growth and development of Indian badminton.
Kotak Karma is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) identity of the Kotak Mahindra Group of companies.