India, March 6 -- Independent India's lone double medallist from a single Olympics, Manu Bhaker on Thursday said that the Indian sporting fraternity should encourage more of its own to take up coaching. The point was also endorsed by chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand.

"I am talking about our athletes who are no longer active. Sometimes, we do not give enough to our own," she said at the Trailblazers 3.0 sports conclave here.

Former athletes understand Indian sportspersons better and connect with them, said the 23-year-old Bhaker. "It is not that foreign coaches are not needed but we need to give more opportunities to Indians."

Speaking separately, Gopichand said: "We do not have enough coaches and to change that we need ...