Visakhapatnam, August 5, 2026 — A fresh foundation stone-laying ceremony for Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu’s proposed Centre for Sports Excellence in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday has triggered a political controversy in Andhra Pradesh.
The opposition YSR Congress Party accused the ruling NDA coalition government of attempting to claim credit for a project that was initiated during the previous Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
According to the YSRCP, the Jagan government allotted three acres of land for the academy in 2021. On November 7, 2024, Sindhu, accompanied by her parents, performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the project, then called the Centre for Badminton and Sports Excellence. Construction work subsequently began.
The party questioned the need for another foundation ceremony, alleging that it was intended to portray the project as a new initiative of the coalition government.
Sindhu clarifies the expanded vision
Responding to the criticism during her address at Tuesday’s event, Sindhu clarified that the latest ceremony was not merely a repetition of the earlier groundbreaking, but marked the launch of a significantly expanded vision for the project.
Sindhu acknowledged that many people had questioned why another foundation ceremony was being held when construction had already begun and the foundation and structural pillars were nearing completion.
She explained that, due to certain circumstances, an official inaugural programme could not be organised when construction began, although the work itself started without delay.
The Olympic medallist said the project’s vision underwent a major transformation after she met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. She revealed that the original plan was to establish a badminton-specific academy.
“However, the Chief Minister advised me to think beyond the immediate future and develop a facility that would remain relevant for the next century,” she said.
Following that suggestion, the entire master plan was redesigned. Instead of limiting the academy to badminton, the project was expanded into a multidisciplinary sports training centre aimed at nurturing athletes across several disciplines.
Reflecting its broader scope, the project has been renamed the P.V. Sindhu Centre for Sports Excellence.
Sindhu emphasised that the second foundation ceremony symbolised the launch of a substantially reimagined project rather than an attempt to claim political credit. She maintained that the event reflected the project’s expanded objectives and long-term vision following the redesign of the master plan.
