Misleading Narrative To Discredit Me: Gaurav Khanna Hits Back At Para-Shuttlers' Charge

Indian para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna has hit back at allegations that he deflated the players' morale at the recent Asian Para Games with a social media post, saying that the charge is nothing but "a misleading public narrative" to discredit him for raising "documented irregularities" in selection issues.

The controversy centres on Khanna's now-deleted social media post which had predicted that India would finish with fewer medals than it had won in the 2022 edition of the Games.

A day before the finals, he wrote that India would win 16 medals, including two gold, six silver and eight bronze. India eventually won exactly 16 medals, (three gold, five silver and eight bronze).

The country had won 21 para badminton medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 13 bronze) in the 2022 edition of the Asian Para Games. The players alleged that they felt severe pressure because of the post and sought an enquiry against Khanna from the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Ministry.

Khanna, who currently runs a badminton academy in Lucknow, said accusations against him were levelled several days after the finals and were meant to distract the authorities after he raised the issue of selection-related discrepancies.

"I am concerned that the public accusations, which began on 27 October, around one week after the briefly visible post were intended to divert attention from the documented irregularities I had raised with higher authorities after the Asian Para Games concluded.

"The timing raises a serious concern that, upon learning of my representations, those concerned resorted to a misleading public narrative to discredit me and shift attention away from the main issues," he said in a statement to PTI.

His response came after India's para badminton chairman K Prabhakar Rao criticised Khanna's post, alleging that it put athletes under psychological pressure, and said he would raise the matter with the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for appropriate action.

Pramod Bhagat, a six-time world champion, had been predicted by Khanna to win silver and he eventually finished second after losing to Nitesh Kumar in the SL3 final at Aichi-Nagoya.

Bhagat said Khanna acted in an "extremely unprofessional and ethically wrong" manner by publishing medal statements by name a day before the conclusion of the Games.

"Statements like these risk creating tension at a crucial stage when athletes need support, not additional distractions," he had said.

Khanna retorted to the charge by questioning Bhagat's routine before the big match.

"The post appeared at approximately 9pm IST on 22 October 2026 and was deleted within 2–3 minutes...Neither the BAI Chairman nor anyone else asked

me about the post and there was no hue and cry from 22nd to 27th October, 2026.

"Moreover, this corresponds to approximately 12:30 am in Japan on 23 October. If Pramod claims to have been disturbed by seeing it during that brief period...when and how he accessed it, whether he was viewing social media after midnight before his final, instead of resting and focusing on a match scheduled a few hours later?" he asked.

Khanna said some deserving players had been left out of the squad for the Games and he is being targetted for raising this issue.

"Why were Asian Top-Six players in respective events Chirag Baretha-Ammu Mohan–Shashank Kumar and Manisha Patel left out?...what action was taken on the deserving players' written representations?" he asked.

"I have no hesitation in saying that even SAI and MYAS made a mistake by trusting the narratives and perceptions set by the concerned administration.

"In my professional assessment, the failure to clarify the technical aspects to SAI and MYAS denied India at least four potential medal opportunities," he alleged.

Describing Bhagat's allegations as misleading, Khanna said "past disagreements" are being used to settle scores now.