CHENNAI: The women’s badminton team has withdrawn from the upcoming Badminton Asia Team Championships in Manila, the Philippines due to fears over the coronavirus pandemic, New Indian Express reports.
It has been learnt that some of the players were unwilling to go while parents of the younger players were unwilling to send their children for the February 11-16 event due to concerns. To address the issue, Ajay Singhania, Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary, had flown to Hyderabad on Thursday to have a meeting with the shuttlers and coaches.
“The parents are highly worried and the federation also has high concerns. The parents have informed us they do not want to send their children. And as this is a team event, we can’t send anyone (women) if the whole team (women) is not on the same page,” Ajay Singhania, Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary, told the daily.
The men’s team though are ready to play in Manila. BAI has named a strong team with the likes of Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy in the fray. “The men’s team is game for the competition and they are expected to leave early morning on Sunday. Their flight, hotel pre-bookings and other formalities have been completed,” Singhania told NIE.
The tournament serves as the Asian qualifiers for the 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup. The shuttlers can also garner points as part of the qualification process for the Tokyo Olympics.
