Badminton umpire Vemuri Sudhakar got covid positive.

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Wed, May 19, 2021, 01:33 PM

Badminton umpire Vemuri Sudhakar got covid positive.

He was blessed with a booming stentorian voice that matched his personality so perfectly. At any badminton match, the tall and immaculately-dressed umpire Vemuri Sudhakar made his presence felt. In the early 80s, his commanding voice of 'Love all and play' was heard even in the farthest corner of the Fateh Maidan indoor stadium court. He had an amazing knowledge of the rules and possessed a sharp eye whether the shuttle cock fell on the right place. Those days there were no replays or DRS.

Unfortunately, this 72-year-old official, who retired as Deputy Manager in Syndicate Bank, became a victim to Covid-19 on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. The booming voice has fallen silent for the final time.

Only the other day doubles specialist Jwala Gutta told this correspondent that Sudhakar has tested positive and was in critical position. She tried to arrange for a better hospital facilities and Sudhakar even sent a small hand-scribbled note of gratitude on Monday. The note said: "Thank you Jwala. You are my favourite child and I am very happy to get the update from Sou, Harsh and Srinidhi. Specially thank you for the wonderful message. I am so very happy to be amidst you all."

Jwala said she met Sudhakar when she was nine years old. "He played a big part in my career. He could have informed a little earlier so that I could have provided better hospital facilities," said an emotionally choked Jwala.

Sudhakar officiated in three consecutive Olympics (1992, 1996 and 2000) and in numerous international matches, including World Cups, Thomas and Uber Cups. He fell in love with the game at the age of 21 years and since it was too late to play as a player, he took to umpiring with distinction. He, in fact, passed Level 1 umpiring test in 1980.

"Umpiring doubles matches in international is always difficult as sometimes some players may deceive you," he had told once.

Sudhakar did a lot of homework before any match. "I made sure that I was thorough with the rules else any player could put me on the back foot. I enjoyed reading and this helped me in going through the rules minutely," said Sudhakar, who was a recipient of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his role as a mentor for BWF umpires.