Things are looking bleak, might hurt players financially and mentally: Prannoy

The emotional and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is weighing on Indian shuttler HS Prannoy's mind and he believes that the already "bleak" scenario would only get worse if things don't take a turn for the better in one and a half month's time.

The coronavirus outbreak, which has killed over 40,000 globally, has put countries in lockdown and halted sports, including badminton, across the world. It has also triggered financial and mental woes across the world.

"It is not a great time for any of the companies, they are not earning now with this lockdown and everything depends on sponsors, so yeah, it will have an impact on the sport," Prannoy, a Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, told PTI in an interview.

"...the sponsors, they must have invested in other sports as well. So I think things are very bleak for badminton and sports overall.

"We have less revenue coming in from a couple of places and if that also stops after a while, it will be a big problem for players. So, I hope