Arvind Bhat bids farewell to international badminton

NEW DELHI: Former national champion and 2014 German Open winner, Arvind Bhat has retired from international badminton, citing his desire to concentrate on coaching stints with an academy in Hyderabad.

"I will not pursue competitive Badminton anymore. It was a decision that I was contemplating for the last six months," said Arvind, who won the national championships in 2008 after reaching the finals four times in the previous seven years.

"I have a lot of people to thank in this wonderful journey. A good time with family and friends is on priority and my next is obviously in the coaching and Badminton ecosystem.

"I hope to do the honest and sincere work there also, which I had consciously done all along for so many years. I will closely be working with White Peacock Badminton Academy," added the 36-year-old from Bangalore, who clinched the national title again in 2011, defeating Parupalli Kashyap.

Selected in the Indian team in 2002, Arvind represented the country in many international events, including the prestigious Thomas Cup for seven times, the 2010 Asian Games and World Champions four times.

In his 13-year-long career, Arvind also played for German clubs and stayed in Europe for 3-5 months every year for last 12 years.

The soft-spoken Bhat, who is an advisor at White Peacock Badminton Academy, also has seen few coaching opportunities coming his way under chief India coach Pullela Gopichand. He had, in fact, travelled with the team at Dutch Open, Denmark Open and French Open.