Sindhu and Lakshya Sen's victories at their own expense

Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen have won titles and proved their mettle on their European tour. However, they have faced difficulties in terms of the expenses required to travel to those tournaments. It is reported that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has not released funds for the four tournaments held in Finland, Denmark, France and Germany. According to an article in 'India Today' quoting 'Indian Express', the players had to bear the expenses of travel, food and accommodation. Expressing surprise at the lack of funds, Sindhu said that she had borne some of the expenses herself and that the Olympic Gold Quest organization had also helped.

The lack of funds has also affected the players' support staff. Some could not take them with them as they could not afford the expenses of coaches. Ashmita Chaliha competed in the French Open and Tanvi Sharma in the Denmark Open without the help of a coach. Different stories have emerged on the reason for the funding being stopped. Some have suspected that the Indian badminton team's performance at the Asian Games may have been the reason for this, but a SAI official denied that claim. He explained that the funds were not released as the Badminton Association of India (BAI) did not submit the proposal within the deadline of 30 days before the tournaments. 

Despite the funding constraints, Indian players have achieved good results. Lakshya Sen won the men's singles title at the Hilo Open in Germany, while Sindhu won the women's singles title. This is her second title this year. On the other hand, the 'Indian Express' reported that SAI has said that it will restore funding for upcoming tournaments. However, it has made it clear that the players will not be reimbursed for their own expenses during their European tour.