BAI announces Rs 10 lakh award for Saina

BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta announces a cheque of Rs 10 lakh for Saina Nehwal who clinched successive titles at Thailand and Indonesia recently.

New Delhi: Cash rewards continued to pour in for ace shuttler Saina Nehwal with Badminton Association of India (BAI) president Akhilesh Das Gupta today announcing a cheque of Rs 10 lakh for the Indian who clinched successive titles at Thailand and Indonesia recently.

The world number five Indian clinched the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold in Bangkok earlier in the month, before winning the Indonesian Super Series Premier in Jakarta last week. Congratulating Saina for her triumphs, Das Gupta said: "I am very delighted that Saina has broken the Chinese wall once again by defeating two of them in Indonesia and gained her confidence against China. "I wish her best of luck for the London Olympics," he said. The Andhra Pradesh Government had yesterday announced a cash incentive of Rs 50 lakh to Saina for winning three international badminton titles, which included the Swiss Open in March, so far this season. PTI