The Badminton Association of India (BAI) handed a cash prize to the triumphant Indian contingent from the Thomas Cup upon their arrival in the country, in a city hotel in New Delhi.

BAI President Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated the Indian team on this historic achievement as BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra alongside other BAI officials and chief national coach Pullela Gopichand were present on the occasion. BAI also handed a cash prize of INR one crore to the Indian team and INR 20 lakh to the support staff.

Indian team clinched the Thomas Cup title for the first time in the 73-year history of the world's most prestigious badminton men's team championship by thrashing 14-time champions Indonesia in Bangkok. 

Also read: Indian contingent finish with 23 medals at Bahrain Para Badminton

New Delhi, May 5 (Badminton News) Rising Indian doubles player Gayatri Gopichand has pulled out of the upcoming Uber Cup Finals after being advised rest to recover from a strain in hip joints.

The development was on Thursday confirmed to PTI by Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra.

The tournament is beginning in Bangkok on Sunday.

Gayatri, who forms the women's doubles combination with Treesa Jolly, has been in good form, of late, producing a series of impressive performances in international and domestic circuit.

She had skipped the Asia badminton championships as well due to the injury and absence has only compounded the Indian women team's problems as the experienced pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa has already withdrawn from the tournament after the former suffered an abdomen tear.

Simran Singh and Ritika Thakkar, who had finished fourth in the ranking during the selection trials, were included by the selectors in the 10-member squad following Sikki's injury.

But no replacement could be named for Gayatri since the extent of her injury came to light after the deadline for making any change to the squad was over.

Gayatri and Treesa had emerged winners at the selection trials to make it to the Indian squad for the Commonwealth Games, Uber Cup and Asian Games.

The duo had reached the semifinals of All England Championships in March this year.

While Gayatri missed out, Treesa left for Bangkok along with the team on Wednesday. Besides Treesa, the other doubles players in the squad include Tanisha Crasto, Shruti Mishra, Simran and Ritika.

The singles players in the team include PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha, Unnati Hooda.

India are in Group D along side South Korea, Canada and the United States in Uber Cup Final.

Meanwhile, former top-10 player H S Prannoy also recovered from a "small injury" which had kept him away from the BAC to reach Bangkok for the Thomas Cup Final. 

Also Read : It was really unfair, I could have played the final: Sindhu on controversial point penalty at BAC

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 20 (Badminton News) Aakarshi Kashyap and Priyanshu Rajawat are set to be picked for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games respectively after emerging as winners in women's and men's singles at Badminton Association of India's (BAI) selection trials here on Wednesday.

While Aakarshi prevailed over Ashmita Chaliha 21-10 17-21 21-15, Priyanshu saw off Odisha Open winner Kiran George 21-15 18-21 21-10 to top the rankings at the national trials at the IG Stadium Complex here.

While Aakarshi, who stayed unbeaten in the tournament, is set to join double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu in the CWG team as the second women's singles player, Priyanshu will get a chance to represent the country at the Asian Games and Thomas Cup.

With Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth given direct selection due to their top 15 world ranking, Priyanshu, however, won't get a place in the CWG team.

Priyanshu has been in good form, losing just one match in the entire event at Stage 2B to Sai Charan Koya.

Priyanshu, Kiran, Ravi and Sameer Verma emerged as the men's singles players ranked 1 to 4 in the trials, while Aakarshi was followed by Ashmita, Unnati Hooda and Aditi Bhatt in women's singles.

The top three women's singles players will get a chance to represent the country as three positions are available for the Asian Games and Uber Cup teams.

In mixed doubles, B Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa staved off challenge from Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto 11-21 22-20 21-18 to grab the top position. The duo are likely to be picked for all the three major events.

Ishaan and Tanisha finished second, followed by Pratik Ranade and Akshaya Warnag, and N Sikki Reddy and K Sai Pratheek.

According to the selection procedure of the BAI, the winner of the mixed doubles will be selected for the third slot in the CWG team.

In women's doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini and Sikki will fight it out with All England semifinalists Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to decide the top position.

While both the pairs are assured of berths in the Asian Games and Uber Cup teams, where three positions are up for grabs, only the winner will be picked for CWG.

The winner of the match between Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker, and Tanisha and Shruti Mishra later in the day will decide the third spot.

Fast-rising men's doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila also finished at the top.

The duo first beat Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy 21-6 25-23 and later K Sai Pratheek retired following an injury, paving their way to the top.

Manu and Sumeeth will take on Krishna Prasad G and Vishnuvardhan Goud P to decide the number 2 and 3 rankings, while Ishaan and Sai Pratheek finished at the fourth place. According to the BAI selection policy, the top two men's pairs will be picked for Asian Games and Thomas Cup.

The selection committee will meet later in the evening to take a final call on the players. 

 

Also Read : Bhagat, Kadam among top Indians competing at Brazil Para Badminton International

 

News Source  : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 14 (Badminton News) Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Saina Nehwal on Thursday questioned the timing of selection trials and slammed the Badminton Association of India for "putting" her out the two mega sporting events later this year.

The governing body had called for selection trials on April 2 to pick the Indian team for big-ticket events including the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Asian Games in Hangzhou and Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in Bangkok from May 8 to 15.

Saina, a former world no 1, said she had informed BAI about her decision to skip the trials which begins at the IG stadium on Friday but it did not mean that she was not eager to participate at the major events including the Commonwealth Games and Asiad.

"Surprised to see all the articles stating that I don't want to defend my CWG title and my Asiad medal. I'm just not participating in the trials because I just got back from 3 weeks of Europe events and according to the schedule there's Asian Championships," Saina tweeted.

"In 2 weeks time, as a senior player to participate in back to back events nonstop is impossible and it's risking injuries, such short notice is not possible. I've conveyed this to BAI but there has been no response from them. It seems like they're happy to put me out of CWG n Asiad." BAI has exempted players inside the top 15 in the BWF rankings from the trials but said shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings, released on March 29, will have to participate in the trials to be selected for the team.

Saina, 32, however, questioned the logic of having trials at this juncture.

"I wish we had better understanding about how to manage a schedule and not announce events with 10 days notice. I'm world no.23 currently and I almost beat the world no.1 Akane in All England. One loss at India open and BAI tries to pull me down. Shocking." Saina, a London Olympics bronze medallist, had participated at the German Open (March 8-13), All England Championships (March 16-20) and Swiss Open (March 22-27) before pulling out of the Korean Open (April 5-10). Saina has been battling injuries and poor form for the past couple of years, which saw see her ranking slip to 23rd but she did show signs of returning to form when she played a three-game match against Akane Yamaguchi at this year's All England Championships.

Among the current crop of women's singles players, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha and Anupama Upadhyaya have been in good form but none of them have beaten top international stars in the world stage.

Saina had returned to the circuit after recovering from a groin and knee injury this year but she didn't have the desired results as her India Open campaign ended in the second round.

After a gap of few weeks, she played three events last month -- German Open, All England and Swiss Open -- where she failed to cross the second round. 

Also Read : Saina Nehwal decides to skip selection trials for CWG, Asian Games

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 12 (Badminton News) Saina Nehwal's chances of defending her title at the Commonwealth Games looks bleak as she has decided to skip the selection trials for the upcoming multi-sport events.

The big-ticket events include the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The selection trials are scheduled here from April 15 to 20.

The 32-year-old Hisar-born shuttler, a two-time CWG gold medallist and 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist, has informed the Badminton Association of India (BAI) about her decision to skip the trials.

"Saina has written to BAI, informing her decision to not play in the trials which will be the only tournament to pick players for CWG, Asiad and Thomas and Uber Cup," a BAI source told PTI.

The CWG squad will consist of 10 members with equal number of men and women, while the Asian Games and Thomas & Uber Cup contingents will have 20 members each, including 10 men and 10 women.

The BAI has made it clear that players inside the top 15 in the BWF rankings will be picked directly, while the rest will be chosen from the trials which will see participation of shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings, released on March 29.

The national governing body will also be "finalising probables for the senior core group for the 2024 Olympic Games" during the trials.

Injuries and recent form =============== A former world number one, Saina has been battling a series of injuries and poor form for the past couple of years, which saw see her ranking slip to 23rd.

Saina, who had won gold medals at the 2010 and 2018 CWG, had suffered a career-threatening knee injury ahead of the Rio Olympics.

She had hurt her groin during the Thomas & Uber Cup Final in Aarhus, Denmark in October last year, and she was also forced to withdraw midway in the first round match at the French Open due to a knee injury.

Her return to the circuit at the India Open ended in the second round when she lost to the fast-rising Malvika Bansod. After a gap of few weeks, she played three events last month -- German Open, All England and Swiss Open -- but failed to cross the second round.

A semifinal finish at 2021 Orleans Masters Super 100 and quarterfinals at Barcelona Spain Masters Super 300 and Malaysia Masters in 2020 have been Saina's highlights in recent years. 

Also Read : Korea Open: Sindhu fails to decode An Seyoung, campaign ends at semifinals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 2 (Badminton News) The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Saturday decided to conduct selection trials at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here from April 15 to 20 to pick teams for the upcoming major events such as Thomas and Uber Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

The national governing body will also be "finalising probables for the senior core group for the 2024 Olympic Games" during the trials.

While the players inside the top 15 in the BWF rankings will be picked directly, the rest of the members will be chosen from the trials which will see the participation of shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings, released on March 29.

It meant double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu (World No. 7), world championships silver and bronze medallists Kidambi Srikanth (World No. 12) and Lakshya Sen (World No. 9) and men's pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (World No. 7) are the only ones assured of a place in the teams for the big-ticket events.

Among others, London Games bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, currently ranked 23rd, and Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth, who is ranked 19th, will have to go through the trials.

The Commonwealth Games squad will consist of 10 members with equal number of men and women, while the Asian Games and Thomas and Uber Cup teams will have 20 members each, including 10 men and 10 women.

Thomas Cup and Uber Cup are scheduled in Bangkok from May 8 to 15, while Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are slated in Birmingham and Hangzhou, China, from July 28 and September 10 respectively.

According to the BAI release, "Players, who are ranked in the Top-16 in singles and Top-8 in doubles in national rankings, based on the domestic performances in the senior ranking tournaments played in Chennai and Hyderabad, and the core group players selected by the BAI selection committee/SAI in 2019 will also be included for the selection trials." The national body, however, said that "players who have notable performances at the international circuit in the last three months will be selected directly alongside those ranked in the Top-15 in the world.

"...while the vacant spots will be filled based on performances of the selection trials as they will be eligible for BAI/SAI assistance for training and competition." Former World No. 10 player H S Prannoy has been impressive in the last few months as he reached the final at the 2022 Swiss Open Super 300 tournament, besides a series of quarterfinal finishes to reach the 23rd spot in the latest chart.

Women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also had reached the semifinals of the All England Championships last month, while Kiran George, Unnati Hooda had claimed the Odisha Open Super 100 titles in January.

BAI will also conduct trials for the junior players. The players for the selection trials will be chosen based on the performances of the upcoming U-19 ranking tournament to be held in Bangalore.

The dates of the selection trials will clash with the Korean Masters, scheduled from April 12-17.

However, BAI has said that it will "withdraw entries of its players from the Super 300 tournament and settle the withdrawal fine amount so that shuttlers can participate in the trials."

Also Read : Top seed Sai Praneeth knocked out, Mithun and Anupama in quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 29 (Badminton News) India Open champion Lakshya Sen and Syed Modi International finalist Malvika Bansod will lead the Indian men's and women's squad in the Badminton Asia Team Championships to be played at Shah Alam, Malaysia from February 15-20.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced a new look team for the continental team championship giving importance to the performances in the two All India Ranking tournaments played in Chennai and Hyderabad last month.

The players were selected on the basis of aggregate ranking points scored in the two events.

"We have been considering domestic tournaments for selection for a while now and selecting players in the top-25 world ranking directly. But with most senior players recovering from Covid and injury, it is a good opportunity for us to give the bench strength opportunities to make their mark in the tournament," BAI secretary Ajay Singhania said in a statement.

The men's team had won the bronze medal in the last edition of the tournament in Manila, Philippines while the women's team was withdrawn due to the pandemic as most players were not willing to travel then.

The men's doubles charge will be led by Kerala's PS Ravi Krishna and Udaykumar Shankarprasad, who also impressed with their performance against the experienced Malaysian combination of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi at the India Open.

The combination of Simran Singhi and Khushi Gupta along with the experienced Aarthi Sara Sunil and Riza Mahreen would look to make a mark in women's doubles.

Teams: Men's singles: Lakshya Sen, Mithun Manjunath, Kiran George, Raghu M Doubles: PS Ravi Krishna/UdayKumar ShankarPrasad, Amsakarunan Hariharan/Ruban Kumar, Dingku Singh Konthoujam/Manjit Singh Khwairakpam.

Women's singles: Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha, Tara Shah Doubles: Simran Singhi/Khushi Gupta, V Nila/Arubala, Aarthi Sara Sunil/Riza Mahreen. 

Also Read : Odisha Open: Teenager Unnati Hooda stuns Malvika Bansod to sail into final

News Source : PTI

Cuttack, Jan 24 (Badminton News) London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal will be the star attraction in Odisha Open Super 100, the state's first ever international tournament under Badminton World Federation, which begins here from Tuesday.

Saina has been seeded first in the women's singles while P Kashyap is the top seed in men's singles of the tournament to be played at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

More than 300 players from 17 countries are participating in this tournament. The event begins with the qualifying round on Tuesday and will continue till January 30.

The tournament, a BWF event, is being organised jointly by the state sports and youth service department, Badminton Association of India and its Odisha unit.

"It is a matter of pride for our state to host such a prestigious sports event," Odisha sports minister T K Behera said.

As the tournament is played as per the COVID-19 guidelines, no spectators will be allowed to enter the stadium.

COVID-19 tests of all players, technical officials and volunteers have been conducted, after their arrival here. Only those found COVID-19 negative will be allowed to enter the stadium.

The matches would be played in five categories -- men's singles, women's single, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.

"About 350 players from as many as 17 countries from across the world will participate in five events in this tournament, in which there has been a toral prize money of 75,000 US dollar," said Girish Nattu, deputy chief referee of the tournament.

"I am glad that organisers have made excellent arrangements to make this international badminton tournament a grand success and I am sure many more such tournament will come to Odisha in future days," Nattu added. 

Also Read : Sindhu wins Syed Modi International badminton title

News Source : PTI

Bhubaneswar, Jan 20 (Badminton News) The state government has geared up to host 2022 Odisha Open, the inaugural edition of a BWF international badminton tournament which will see over 300 players from 18 countries vie for the top honours.

The 2022 Odisha Open is a BWF Super 100 tournament and no spectators will be allowed to be present at the events that will take place at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack from January 25 to January 30.

Odisha Sports Minister T K Behera said COVID guidelines and norms laid down by the state government and Badminton World Federation (BWF) will be strictly followed at the tournament.

“Our collective efforts are to ensure an overall safe and secure environment for players to participate in their respective games,” Behera said.

The sports and youth services department is working closely with Badminton Association of India and Odisha State Badminton Association to ensure that the tournament is as per BWF standards and is conducted smoothly with utmost priority to safety of the players.

"The COVID protocol have been clearly defined. We look forward to hosting all the players and officials and wish them a wonderful stay in Odisha and good luck for their event," he said.

As per the protocol laid down by the government and BWF, RT-PCR test is mandatory for all players and officials and they have to arrive before January 23 to participate in the event.

Players also need to carry their RT-PCR negative reports (72 hours) at the time of arrival along with their vaccination certificate. No player will be allowed to enter the venue (event and practice) without a prior negative RT-PCR report in confirmity with BWF norms, Behera said.

Random testing shall also be conducted for officials and players not staying at the official hotels, he said.

The Odisha State Badminton Association has been asked to intimate players on these guidelines and teams from Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and Capital Hospital along with a dedicated team from the state sports department will be deployed for the testing of the players and officials.

The venue has gone through minor upgradation and enhancement befitting the event and the district administration and Cuttack Municipal Corporation are working to ensure that the silver city is ready for it. 

Also Read : PV Sindhu eases into Syed Modi quarterfinals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 17 (Badminton News) Badminton Association of India secretary general Ajay Singhania is more relieved than happy that it has successfully conducted this edition of Indian Open despite being rocked by COVID-19 cases during the tournament.

The hiccups in conducting the USD 350,000 prize money event started with uncertainty over the clearance for the tournament due to escalating COVID-19 cases in Delhi at the start of the year.

"By the time the tournament week started a small core group was responsible for pulling off this event and I am more relieved than happy that we pulled this off," said Singhania in a BAI release.

The India Open was held after a gap of two years following the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020.

While the first two days witnessed a smooth sailing, seven Indian players returned positive results in the mandatory RT-PCR tests, not only throwing the pre-quarterfinal schedule haywire but also leaving the officials with another task to deal with.

The said players could not stay in the official hotel after testing positive and had to be accommodated elsewhere.

"Sending them to a government hospital for quarantine was risky. But thankfully we somehow managed to convince a city hotel while most refused to host these players," Singhania added.

The other major area of concern for BAI was hunting for a host broadcaster in a short span of time as the previous contract had expired.

"Sony came on board to show the matches and we are grateful to them. It was a touch and go situation but things fell in place even if last minute," he said.

The action will now move to Lucknow for the Syed Modi International next week and then the Odisha Open.

BAI is confident that the three-event Indian circuit would provide the perfect start to the new international badminton season despite the challenges of COVID-19 in the country. 

Also Read : Singapore shuttler Yeo Jia Min tests COVID positive on return from India

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 15 (Badminton News) The COVID-19 pandemic continued to take a toll on the Yonex-Sunrise India Open badminton tournament with two players being withdrawn from the main draw ahead of their mixed doubles semifinal clash here on Saturday.

Second seeded Russian mixed doubles player Rodion Alimov tested positive for the virus and was withdrawn from the USD 400,000 tournament.

His mixed doubles partner Alina Davletova was also withdrawn after being identified as a close contact.

Indonesian pair of Yong Kai Terry Hee and Wei Han Tan thus made it to the mixed doubles final after getting a walkover.

"Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm that one player from the current draw has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2022," the world's governing body BWF said in a statement.

"The player returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Friday. His doubles partner has been identified as a close contact and has also been withdrawn from the tournament. Their opponents will be given a walkover to the final." Meanwhile, world champion Loh Kean Yew made it to the 䂪en's singles finals without breaking a sweat after his semifinal opponent, Brian Yang, pulled out of the tournament after complaining of "sore throat and bit of a headache".

"Brian Yang complained of sore throat and bit of a headache in the morning. He said he is not feeling well and hence he has withdrawn," Badminton Association of India (BAI) said.

"Yang though has tested negative for COVID -19. Loh Kean Yew therefore is through to the finals." Russian women's doubles pairing of Ekaterina Malkova and Anastasiia Shapovalova also withdrew from the season's first event after the former developed a back pain.

Their semifinals opponents -- third seeded Russians Anastasiia Akchurina and Olga Morozova thus qualified for the summit clash.

On Wednesday, as many as seven Indian shuttlers, including reigning world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, were withdrawn from the event after testing positive for the virus.

Besides Srikanth, the other players withdrawn were Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta.

Earlier, India's B Sai Praneeth, the 2019 world championship bronze medallist, double specialists Manu Attri and Dhruv Rawat had tested positive and had pulled out before the start of the tournament.

The entire England badminton contingent had also withdrawn ahead of the Super 500 event after the country's doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the virus.

Organised by the Badminton Association of India, the 2022 edition of India Open is being held behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

As per the COVID-19 protocols, all the participating players are being tested everyday at the hotel and outside the stadium. 

Also Read : COVID-19: Two players withdrawn from India Open

News Soucre : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 15 (Badminton News) The COVID-19 pandemic continued to take a toll on the Yonex-Sunrise India Open badminton tournament with two players being withdrawn from the main draw ahead of their mixed doubles semifinal clash here on Saturday.

Second seeded Russian mixed doubles player Rodion Alimov tested positive for the virus and was withdrawn from the USD 400,000 tournament.

His mixed doubles partner Alina Davletova was also withdrawn after being identified as a close contact.

Indonesian pair of Yong Kai Terry Hee and Wei Han Tan thus made it to the mixed doubles final after getting a walkover.

"Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm that one player from the current draw has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2022," the world's governing body BWF said in a statement.

"The player returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Friday. His doubles partner has been identified as a close contact and has also been withdrawn from the tournament. Their opponents will be given a walkover to the final." On Wednesday, as many as seven Indian shuttlers, including reigning world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, were withdrawn from the event after testing positive for the virus.

Besides Srikanth, the other players withdrawn were Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta.

Earlier, India's B Sai Praneeth, the 2019 world championship bronze medallist, double specialists Manu Attri and Dhruv Rawat had tested positive and had pulled out before the start of the tournament.

The entire England badminton contingent had also withdrawn ahead of the Super 500 event after the country's doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the virus.

Organised by the Badminton Association of India, the 2022 edition of India Open is being held behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

As per the COVID-19 protocols, all the participating players are being tested everyday at the hotel and outside the stadium. 

Also Read : Olympic medallist P V Sindhu enters semifinals of India Open.

News Sources : PTi

New Delhi, Jan 14 (Badminton News) Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Friday announced Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) as the exclusive broadcast partner for the ongoing Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2022.

The BWF super 500 tournament is being held closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic but viewers will now be able to watch the exciting on-court action as the event will be shown live on Sony Ten 1 channel and streamed live on SonyLIV, the network’s OTT platform, starting from the quarter-finals "We are glad to have Sony Pictures Networks India as the broadcaster for the Yonex-Sunrise India Open," BAI General Secretary Ajay Singhania said in a release.

"Unfortunately, this year we are not having spectators as well as media covering the event, but now they can enjoy the action from their home and watch world-class badminton action played in India after a long time." Reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew and bronze medallist Lakshya Sen as well as the two-time Olympics medallist PV Sindhu are among the top players who are participating in the USd 400,000 event.

Also in action will be three-time world champion duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, World No. 12 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand, Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and HS Prannoy.

India Open, which kickstarted the BWF World Tour calendar, made a return after a gap of two years following cancellation of the last two editions due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Also Read : Saina has always been my idol, win over her one of the biggest of my career: Malvika

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 13 (Badminton News) The India Open tournament was on Thursday rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic with as many as seven Indian shuttlers, including reigning world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, withdrawing from the event after testing positive for the virus.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced this in the wee hours, before the Badminton Association of India (BAI) confirmed the names.

Besides Srikanth, the other players withdrawn are Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thkar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta.

"The players returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday. Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament," the world governing body said in a statement.

"The players will not be replaced in the main draw and their opponents will be given a walkover to the next round." N Sikki Reddy, Dhruv Kapila, Gayatri Gopichand, Akshan Shetty and Kavya Gupta were also pulled out of the competition after being deemed closed contacts of the infected. They, however, didn't test positive for the virus.

While Sikki partners Ashwini in women's doubles, Dhruv plays mixed doubles with Sikki, Akshan forms the mixed doubles team with Simran, while Kavya is the women's doubles partner of Khushi.

Initially, the BWF didn't reveal the names of the seven players.

Earlier, B Sai Praneeth, the 2019 world championship bronze medallist, double specialists Manu Attri and Dhruv Rawat had tested positive for the virus ahead of their departure for the national capital and had pulled out before the start of the tournament.

The entire England badminton contingent had also withdrawn ahead of the Super 500 event after the country's doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the virus.

Organised by the BAI, the 2022 edition of India Open is being held behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

As per the COVID-19 protocols, all the participating players are being tested everyday at the hotel and outside the stadium.

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, World Championships silver and bronze medallists Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen, London Games bronze winner Saina Nehwal are among the Indian players who have reached the second round of the tournament.

Among top international stars, world champion Loh Kean Yew, three-time men's doubles world champion Mohammad Ahsan, and Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan are competing in the tournament, which is being hosted for the first time in three years following the cancellation of the last two editions due to the pandemic.

Delhi reported 27,561 COVID-19 cases, the second-highest single-day rise since the pandemic began, and 40 deaths on Wednesday. 

Also Read : Para shuttlers Bhagat, Kadam begin Europe training stint with Paris 2024 in mind

News Source : PTI

Cape Town, Jan 11 (Sports News) The Indian Olympic Association on Tuesday appointed senior vice president of the Indian Olympic Association Rakesh Anand as the Chef de Mission of the country's contingent for the upcoming Commonwealth Games to be held at Birmingham from July 28-August 8.

The IOA also announced the appointment of president of Wushu Association of India Bhupender Singh Bajwa as India's Chef de Mission for the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10-25.

IOA president Narinder Dhruv Batra also announced general team managers for the Commonwealth Games and deputy Chefs de Mission for the Asian Games.

The team managers appointed are Rajesh Bhandari, secretary general of Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association and vice-president of Boxing Federation of India; Chiranjib Choudhary, secretary general of the Meghalaya Olympic Association and vice-president of the Table Tennis Federation of India and Prasant Kushwaha, secretary general of the Kayaking and Canoeing Association of India.

Secretary general of Badminton Association of India Ajay Kumar Singhania, president of Bengal Olympic Association Swapan Banerjee, secretary general of Goa Olympic Association Gurudatta Bhakta and executive board member of the Netball Federation of India Hariom Kaushik will act as deputy to Bajwa in the upcoming Asian Games. 

Also Read : Confident UP Yoddha look to maintain winning momentum against Haryana Steelers in PKL

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 10 (Badminton News) Star Indian shuttlers P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth will look to carry the momentum from last season and make winning starts to the new year when they begin their campaign at the India Open, which returns after being cancelled twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A lot of ranking points will be up for grabs at the USD 400,000 Super 500 tournament which is being held in the looming shadows of a raging third wave of the pandemic in the country with cases rising at a rapid speed, fuelled by the new Omicorn variant.

Top shuttler B Sai Praneeth and doubles player Dhruv Rawat have already pulled out after testing positive in the pre-departure testing. A few other Indians are awaiting results of their RT-PCR tests after turning positive the first time and might also miss out in case of positive result again.

The actual picture regarding the list of players competing will only emerge after the manager's meeting later in the day.

The spectre of COVID, however, hasn't stopped the top Indian and foreign players to descend to the national capital.

Besides Sindhu and Srikanth, many top players such as newly-crowned world champion Loh Kean Yew, three-time world champion Indonesian duo of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, top Malaysians Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi will also be in action at the event which will take place behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi stadium here.

Among Indians, all eyes will be on two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu and world championships silver and bronze medallists Srikanth and Lakshya Sen, respectively, to deliver the goods at the country's flagship event.

Sindhu embarked on a consistent run last season as she claimed a second Olympic medal and also secured a silver at World Tour Final besides making the final at the Swiss Open and few semifinals finishes but a title eluded her.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad, whose last title was the 2019 world championships, will be itching to regain the India Open title which she had first captured five years back in 2017.

Sindhu will begin her campaign against compatriot Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli, while Russian fifth seed Evgeniya Kosetskaya could be her opponent in the last-8 stage.

Two-time champion Saina Nehwal, Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan and Singapore's up and coming Jia Min Yeo are the other top shuttlers in women's singles.

The London Olympics bronze medallist and fourth seed Nehwal, who endured a tough year plagued with multiple injuries, is likely to square off against seventh seed Iris Wang of USA in the quarterꪪfinals and second seed Ongbamrungphan in the semifinals.

In men's singles, Srikanth will begin his campaign against compatriot Siril Verma and might clash with Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the semifinals in a rematch of their world championships final after being drawn in the same half.

The in-form Sen will start his campaign against Adham Elgamal of Egypt and could face compatriot and world championships quarter-finalist HS Prannoy in the quarterfinals.

Prannoy, who is making a comeback after battling post COVID after-effects, is set to kickstart his challenge against Spaniard Pablo Abian. Sixth seed Sameer Verma, who had suffered a calf muscle injury in Denmark, will also look to go deep into the draw after starting his campaign against his elder brother Sourabh.

The tournament has lost some sheen with the withdrawals of players from France, Russia and Canada and England, who pulled out after doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive before departing for Delhi on Friday.

As part of its COVID-19 protocols, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has made it mandatory for all the players as well as tournament, match officials, BWF and BAI officials, support staff, vendors and others involved to go through a mandatory COVID testing each day outside the stadium before being allowed entry inside the venue.

Also Read : Praneeth withdraws from India Open after testing positive for COVID-19.

News Sources : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 9 (Badminton News) Top Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth, who won the 2019 World Championships bronze medal, on Sunday pulled out of the season-opening India Open Super 500 tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.

"Yes, I have tested positive for COVID-19 in RT-PCR test. I had cold and cough since yesterday. I am isolating at home," Praneeth told PTI.

"I will have to wait for at least a week before testing again. It is an important year and there is hardly any time to regain fitness. I hope I can get back to court quickly." Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Singhania has also confirmed Praneeth's withdrawal from the USD 400,000 tournament.

Another Indian player, double specialist Dhruv Rawat, has also tested positive for the virus ahead of his departure for the national capital to participate in the tournament starting on Tuesday.

The player didn't have any symptoms and underwent RT-PCR tests before leaving for Delhi.

In January last year, Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy had tested positive in Thailand but were found to be negative after re-examination.

Organised by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), the 2022 edition of India Open will be held behind closed doors at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall with the governing body laying down strict COVID-19 protocols.

"All the participating players will be taking the necessary safety precautions right from their arrival in New Delhi as per protocol, and will be tested everyday at the hotel and from there they will be having shuttle buses to come to the stadium, play matches and go back to the hotel again," the BAI said in a release.

"All the players as well as tournament, match officials, BWF and BAI officials, support staff, vendors and others involved will have to go through a mandatory COVID test each day outside the stadium, and only after being tested negative they will be allowed inside the venue.

"BAI will not compromise on the safety of the players as well as others involved, and will be following all the COVID-19 guidelines given by the government." Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen were among the Indian players who have already arrived in the national capital on Sunday.

Kidambi Srikanth is likely to arrive late in the evening, while Saina will land on Monday.

Top shuttlers, including world champion Loh Kean Yew and three-time men's doubles world champion Mohammad Ahsan, had their first training session here on Sunday. 

Also Read : Srikanth, Sindhu get top billing as India Open returns after two-years hiatus

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 9 (Badminton News) Former champions Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu of India have been given the top billing in the men's and women's sections, respectively, as the Yonex-Sunrise India Open badminton returns after two-years hiatus.

The tournament will start with main draw from January 11 and no spectators will be allowed at the venue, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament, organised by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), will kickstart the 2022 international season.

Reigning World Championships silver medallist Srikanth has received the top billing in the men's singles section with world champion Loh Kean Yew and bronze medallist Lakshya Sen also vying for their first India Open crown.

BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania expressed his delight that the tournament is going ahead and is confident that it will be a grand success like the earlier editions.

"The India Open has become an important event on the BWF calendar. We have taken all possible precautions for the safety of the players and officials and we will try to engage fans through various online platform and live broadcast on television," he said.

Double Olympic medallist Sindhu will lead the charge in the women's singles section which also has the likes of two-time champion Saina Nehwal, Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan and Singapore's up and coming Jia Min Yeo.

Sindhu, winner of the 2017 edition, said playing without fans would be a bit of a dampener but she was as motivated as anyone to clinch her second tournament title.

"I have always looked forward to playing in New Delhi as India Open has always had full house crowd with great atmosphere as winning a tournament at home is always special for any player." Men's singles top seed and former champion Srikanth said the tournament provided him the perfect opportunity to build on his World Championships success.

"It's a long season for all us with the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled later this year. Starting the season on home turf gives me a perfect opportunity to start the year on a winning note," said the former World No. 1.

The 10th edition of the tournament, which is being held after a gap of two years following the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, will see participants from 19 countries across five categories.

World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen is also keen to leave his mark in his first appearance in the home tournament.

"I have always looked forward to playing the India Open. I had to wait for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic but I am confident of putting my best foot forward this week." Due to the COVID-related restrictions, strict protocols are followed and all players have to go through mandatory tests before entering the venue.

Vikramaditya Dhar, the Managing Director of Sunrise Sports India Pvt Ltd., insisted that supporting the tournament is part of their commitment to the sport.

"Badminton is one of the most popular sports in the country and the Yonex-Sunrise India Open has played an important role in bringing top-level badminton in the country.

"As badminton action re-starts after the two-year break, we are committed to do everything that helps the sport to grow further," Dhar said. 

Also Read : Lakshya Sen eyeing maiden title on India Open debut

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 9 (Badminton News) World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen says he will look to build on his rich vein of form and return with a maiden title when he begins the new season with a debut appearance at the India Open Super 500 here on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old from Almora had a good outing in the last season as he reached the final of Dutch Open, made it to the semifinals at Hylo, and then entered the knockout stage of the World Tour Finals on debut.

However, the icing on the cake was his bronze at the World Championships, which helped him to emulate his mentor Prakash Padukone and compatriot B Sai Praneeth.

"This is the first time I will be playing the India Open as the last two editions were cancelled due to the pandemic. So I am looking forward to making the most of this opportunity and win the title," Sen told PTI after arriving in the national capital.

"I had a 10-day break after the world championships and started training from January 1st. I had some niggles but now I am back to full fitness." Walking down memory lane, Sen talking about the time when he would come as a fan to watch greats such as Lin Dan and Taufik Hidatay compete in the tournament.

"I remember coming to India Open as a 10-year-old in 2011-12. I was inspired a lot by Lin Dan and Taufik Hidayat. I have always loved Taufik's game, it influence me a lot." Sen will open his campaign against Egypt's Adham Hatem Elgamal and a win will pit him against Sweden's Felix Burestedt in the next round.

"I have a good draw. In the first round, I am playing a player from Egypt and in next round, it will be Felix. I had trained with him in Dubai.

"I will take one match at a time and the way I am playing, I am confident of winning the tournament." The year will be a hectic one with big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games lined up, apart from the regular BWF World Tour events.

Sen said his entire focus will be to stay injury free and peak at the right time.

"It is an important year as there are lots of important tournaments lined up. I have to come up with a proper training plan ahead of these important events, also pick and choose events," the world number 17 said.

"I have to perform well so that I can qualify for important events. So the focus will be on staying injury free and peaking at the right moment." Organised by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), the India Open is all set to kick off on Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi Stadium's KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.

Most players have started arriving in the capital for the tournament.

"All the participating players will be taking the necessary safety precautions right from their arrival in New Delhi as per protocol, and will be tested everyday at the hotel and from there they will be having shuttle buses to come to the stadium, play matches and go back to the hotel again," the BAI said in a release. 

Also Read : England shuttlers pull out of India Open badminton after 2 positive cases in contingent.

News Sources : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 9 (Badminton) The entire England badminton contingent has withdrawn from the upcoming India Open after the country's doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the COVID-19.

England's decision to pull out was made public by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Sunday.

The organisers, however, said that COVID tests of all players conducted this morning at the team hotel came out negative.

"Entire @BadmintonEnglnd team had withdrawn two days back and they are not here in India. #YonexSunriseIndiaOpen2022 is on track and all players who were tested at the hotel this morning as per protocol have come negative," the BAI tweeted.

Vendy's men's doubles partner, Ben Lane, too confirmed the development with a Twitter post.

"No India Open this year for myself and @SeanVendy after he returned a positive covid test along with our coach @Nath_Robertson," Lane tweeted.

Vendy and Lane were seeded fourth in the men's doubles competition.

The India Open will be held at the national capital from January 11 to 16 amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across the country.

Organised by the BAI, the USD 400,000 Super 500 event will start the 2022 BWF World Tour season.

Also Read : Our aim is to qualify for the 2024 Olympics - Indian badminton athlete Shikha Gautam

News Sources : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 28 (Badminton News) The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Tuesday extended the contracts of the coaching staff, including Indonesia's Dwi Kristiawan, with big-ticket events like Commonwealth Games and Asian Games lined up next year.

Kristiawan, who was roped in by the governing body in 2011, alongwith Muhammad Miftak, Heri Setiawan, Ade Kurniawan and Eska Riffan Jaya, who helps the players in sparring, have been handed an extension till September 30, 2022.

"While it's important to maintain the continuity we have extended the term of the coaching and sparring support stuff after a detailed discussion in TOPs meeting today," BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania told PTI.

Indonesia's Mulyo Handoyo and Malaysia's Tan Kim Her are also likely to return as India's singles and doubles badminton coaches with the national federation hoping to finalise their appointments soon. 

Also Read : Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar wins 3 gold at Nationals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 10 (Badminton news) Indonesia's Mulyo Handoyo and Malaysia's Tan Kim Her are set to return as India's singles and doubles badminton coaches with the national federation hoping to finalise their appointments by the end of this month.

Tough taskmaster Mulyo, who has coached Athens Olympic gold medallist Taufik Hidayat, had a brief stint in India and is credited for the success of men's singles players like Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy in 2017.

Tan Kim Her, on the other hand, is the man responsible for forging India's best doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who under his guidance won the Commonwealth Games silver, played a vital role in the team gold in 2018 and also broke into world's top 20.

"Mulyo and Tan Kim Her are among the few top names who applied for the posts after we advertised for it and BAI (Badminton Association of India) wants to avail their services as they have prior experience of working with our Indian players," BAI secretary Ajay Singhania told PTI.

BAI had advertised for the coaches' posts on November 18 after men's singles coach Agus Dwi Santoso departed last month, few weeks before the completion of his contract.

"Mulyo and Tan have been in the Indian set up so we are favouring them and we are hoping to get their services from the India Open in January. Of course, it is yet to be finalised as we are still discussing the details," Singhania said.

Under Mulyo, Indian male shuttlers secured an unprecedented five Super Series titles in 2017, which included four titles by Srikanth and one by Praneeth.

"The contracts of all the coaches expire in December end, so we will have to seal the appointments by this month. Our chief coach Pullela Gopichand is discussing with the coaches on various issues such as salaries, accommodation etc.." In his last stint, Mulyo didn't complete his contract and quit in December, 2017 to join the Singapore team, while Tan Kim Her, who had a contract till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, resigned in 2019 and went on to coach the Japan national team.

With Tokyo Olympics in mind, BAI had roped in London Olympics silver-medallist and former world No.1 Mathias Boe for the Indian pair of Satwik and Chirag, who won two of the three matches in their group at the Japanese capital.

Boe's contract was till the Olympics but the Denmark great had said that he wanted to continue coaching the doubles players and had sent a detailed proposal to BAI.

Asked why he was not considered, Singhania said: "Boe is a good coach but he couldn't commit to a full time role, he wanted it more like a temporary basis which is something that couldn't be worked out." India's next assignment is the World Championships scheduled to begin on Sunday in Huelva, Spain.

While defending champion P V Sindhu's coach Park Tae Sang is already in Spain, Indian coaches Siyadatullah and Arun Vishnu (doubles) left for Spain on Thursday and will be sharing the responsibility of the competing players.

Also Read : Krishna Khaitan memorial badminton tournament to be held in January

News Source : PTI

Chandigarh, Dec 9 (Badminton news) The 29th Krishna Khaitan Memorial All India Junior Ranking badminton tournament will be held at Tau Devi Lal multipurpose indoor stadium from January 11 to 17.

Express Shuttle Club Trust, under the aegis of Haryana Badminton Association, is organising the event.

“Tournament will be played under the following age categories: Under-19 years (boys and girls-singles and doubles). Mixed doubles Under 19 years,” a press release issued by organising secretary of the event, Sanjiv Sachdeva, said.

Last date of entries is December 22, qualifying rounds will be held from January 11 to 13 while main draw will be held from January 14 to 17.

It is mandatory for all Badminton Association of India affiliated units/associations to maintain BAI’s ID of the participants, Sachdeva said.

Also Read : Young shuttler Aditi Bhatt honing skills to earn her place among the best

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 8 (Sports news) More than 500 para shuttlers, including Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Pramod Bhagat, will be vying for top honours at the Para-Badminton National championship scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from December 24 to 26.

Para Sports Association of Odisha along with the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt of Odisha is all set to organise the three-day mega sporting event at two venues in Bhubaneswar under the Aegis of Paralympic Committee of India and Badminton Association of India.

Bhagat, who won India's first-ever badminton gold at the Paralympics and was also awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, will be the star attraction in the event.

The tournament will also see the participation of Tokyo gold medallist Krishna Nagar from SH 6 category, Tokyo silver medallist Suha Yathiraj, Paralympic bronze winner Manoj Sarkar, Sukant Kadam, Parul Parmar, Manasi Joshi, Palak Kohli, Tarun Dhillon, Prem Kumar Ale, Raj Kumar among others.

"I'm very happy to share here that Para Sports Association of Odisha along with the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs Govt of Odisha is going to organise the Para Badminton National Championship at Bhubaneswar from 24th to 26th December 2021," Kamala Kanta Rath, the president of Para Sports Association of Odisha said in a release.

"I thank the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs Govt of Odisha for all the support. I wish the Para Badminton National Championship, 2021, a huge success. All the best." Bhubaneswar had recently hosted the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup.

Also Read : Australia joins the USA in diplomatic boycott of 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 18 (Badminton news) Indian badminton great Prakash Padukone will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award this year from the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

The BWF Council shortlisted the Indian legend based on the award commission's recommendation. Badminton Association of India (BAI) had submitted his name for this award.

The former world no 1 and the first-ever Indian world championships medallist, Padukone has contributed immensely to the game. In 2018, he was also honoured with the BAI's Lifetime Achievement Award.

For the Meritorious Service Award, BWF Council has nominated Devender Singh, President of Haryana Badminton Association, SA Shetty, Secretary General of Maharashtra Badminton Association, Dr OD Sharma, Vice President of BAI and Chairperson of Tournament Committee and former BAI Vice President Manik Saha.

Alaknanda Ashok, who is the President of Uttarakhand Badminton Association, will receive the Women & Gender Equity Award. She has been associated with badminton administration for many years.

"We are delighted to see BWF celebrating legendary Prakash Padukone's contribution to the sport with this award. His contribution is massive in taking Indian badminton to where it is today," BAI General Secretary Ajay Singhania said.

"When it comes to developing the sport, a strong backbone of administrators, officials and corporate play key roles and it's great to see they are also being recognised and praised for their support and contribution to the game.

"On behalf of BAI, I congratulate all the winners and hope with their continued support we will be able to take Indian badminton to greater heights." Sunrise Sport (India) Pvt Ltd and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd will be awarded with the Certificate of Commendation for their continuous support to badminton.

Sunrise Sport, the title sponsors of BAI for the last four years, has been a supporter and key stakeholder in the growth of Indian badminton for more than two decades now.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has also been the leading name when it comes to supporting the sport in the country and has also played a vital role in badminton's development across the country.

The certificates and plaques will be given to all the awardees during the India Open.

Also Read : Prannoy stuns Olympic champ Axelsen, moves to Indonesia Masters quarters alongside Sindhu, Srikanth

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 22 (Badminton News) The Indian men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has pulled out of the Sudirman Cup mixed team championships on medical grounds.

The World no.10 pair was part of the 12-member Indian team announced by the Badminton Association of India for the prestigious event to be held from September 26 to October 3 in Finland.

"Chirag and Satwik have withdrawn on medical grounds as the former is not well," a BAI source told PTI.

"It is also uncertain if they will participate in the Thomas Cup which will be held after the Sudirman Cup. It will be subject to Chirag's recovery from illness." The nature of illness couldn't be ascertained as neither Chirag nor Satwik answered calls.

The Thomas and Uber Cup will be held from October 9 to 17 at Aarhus in Denmark.

Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu had already requested not to be considered for the two events citing post Olympics recovery.

The Sudirman Cup will be the first BWF tournament to be held this year since the world body was forced to cancel or reschedule a number of events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Chirag and Satwik's absence, the onus will be on Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun, who were the top-ranked doubles pair in the selection trials, to win India the men's doubles matches in the tournament, which comprises two singles and three doubles ties in a rubber.

The squad also comprises Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth, women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy and youngsters such as Malvika Bansod, Aditi Bhatt, Tanisha Crasto, Rutuparna Panda.

The biennial tournament will see the Indian team competing against defending champions China, Thailand and hosts Finland in Group A. 

Also Read : BWF cancels Syed Modi International badminton tournament

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 9 (Badminton news): The Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament was on Thursday cancelled by the Badminton World Federation for the second year in a row.

The tournament, which was also cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was scheduled to be held in Lucknow from October 12 to 17.

"Further to August's announcement detailing updates to the BWF Tournament Calendar 2021, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm the Syed Modi India International 2021 is now cancelled," the apex body said in a statement.

BWF, which has had to cancel several tournaments due to COVID-19 complications and restrictions, however, did not specify the exact reason for calling off the tournament in India.

"Tournament organisers Badminton Association of India (BAI) made the decision in consultation and collaboration with local government authorities and the BWF.

"The BWF regrets the cancellation but remains committed to delivering a safe and structured series of badminton tournaments for the rest of the year including the culmination to the HSBC BWF World Tour," the statement read.

Last month, the governing body had cancelled the Korea Open (August 31- September 5), Macau Open (November 2 -7)and Taipei Open (September 7-12) due to "complications regarding the staging" of the event in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China Open (September 21-26), Japan Open (September 28-October 3), Fuzhou China Open (November 9-14) and Hong Kong Open (November 16-21) were the other important events which were cancelled due to the global health crisis.

Also read: Multi-tasker Noida DM Suhas Yathiraj says his Paralympic silver shows sports and academics can co-exist

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Aug 25 (Badminton news) India have been drawn with top seeds and defending champions China, Thailand and hosts Finland for the upcoming Sudirman Cup badminton tournament, making it a tough Group A for the side to negotiate.

The prestigious World Mixed Team Championship is scheduled to be held in Vantaa, Finland from September 26 to October 3.

India and Finland have been seeded in the 9 to 16 bracket, while Thailand are placed in the 5-8 bracket in the 16-nation event.

The Chinese team, which has won the title 11 times in the past, will have the opportunity to consolidate its position as it seeks a 12th title.

The draw, held in Kuala Lumpur and broadcast online, saw second seeds Japan drawn with Malaysia, England and Egypt in Group D.

Japan were runners-up in 2019 and are seeking their first Sudirman Cup title.

Indonesia, winners of the Sudirman Cup in its inaugural year 1989, are in Group C with Denmark, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and Canada, while Group B consists of Chinese Taipei, Korea, Tahiti and Germany.

Also read: Badminton Association of India calls players for selection trial for Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup Final

Four-time winners Korea are the second most successful team at the World Mixed Team Championships.

The top two teams from each group progress to the knockout round (quarterfinals). The quarterfinals draw will be held immediately after the last group match.

Each tie comprises five matches -- men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.

The Badminton Association of India will pick the team for the Sudirman Cup and Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in a selection trial on August 28.

A total of 105 players, including Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Verma brothers -- Sameer and Sourabh, Parupalli Kashyap, Ashwini Ponnappa, N Sikki Reddy, Ashmita Chaliha, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Gayatri Gopichand have been called for the trials.

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, 2012 London Games bronze winner Saina Newhal, Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth, 2016 Rio Olympics quarterfinalist Kidambi Srikanth and world No. 10 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been selected directly for the two events.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Aug 23 (Badminton news) The Badminton Association of India will conduct a selection trial on August 28 to pick the teams for the upcoming Sudirman Cup and Thomas and Uber Cup Finals.

The prestigious Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Championship is scheduled to be held in Vantaa, Finland from September 26 to October 3, followed by Thomas and Uber Cup from October 9 to 17 at Aarhus in Denmark.

"BAI will be conducting selection trial for forthcoming Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup to be held at Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, Hyderabad from 28th (Saturday) August 2021 onwards," the governing body said in a letter.

"Players are requested to report for the Trial by 27th August 2021 (Evening)." The 105 players called the trials include both junior and senior shuttlers. Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, 2012 London Games bronze winner Saina Newhal, Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth, 2016 Rio Olympics quarterfinalist Kidambi Srikanth and world No. 10 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been selected directly for the two events.

India, along with England, Russia and Egypt, has been placed in the 9 to 16 bracket at the Sudirman Cup.

Also read: India get decent draw in Thomas and Uber Cup

"We have selected the players who are ranked inside the top 20 in the world directly for the two tournaments. They don't need to go through the trials," BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania told PTI.

Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Verma brothers -- Sameer and Sourabh, former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap, Ajay Jayaram and Subhankar Dey are the prominent names in men's singles players' list.

In women's singles, Ashmita Chaliha, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Tasnim Mir, Vaishnavi Jakka Reddy and Gayatri Gopichand are some of the names who will be participating in the trials.

Women's doubles pairing of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy and men's doubles combination of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will also have to go through the trials.

BAI also said that "parents, personal coaches and other members" will not be allowed during the trials in line with the COVID-19 protocols.

The last date of entry is August 26.

News source: PTI

India is just coming off the back of 7 medals at the Tokyo Olympics, it’s best ever tally so far. The Indian sports industry is in a better place now than it has been ever before with sports enthusiasts becoming interested in more and more sports apart from cricket. However, there is room for improvement and a variety of factors need to work in cohesion for India to truly be considered a ‘sporting nation’.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, Pranav Yadav, Assistant Director at FICCI - Sports and Youth Affairs speaks about the role of industries and corporates in the Indian sporting ecosystem, grassroom development, promoting a sporting culture, the role of media, esports revolution and the future of Indian sports landscape.

Q 1) According to you, how can industries and corporations help the Indian sporting ecosystem remain sustainable and for the country to be regarded as a ‘sporting nation’?

That's something where we have already established ourselves. When you speak to people you will hear two perceptions, there are people who will say that there is not enough support from the industry and there are people who say that you must look at the previous contributions from the Commonwealth or Olympic Games. The percentage of contribution has been rising significantly and I am very proud that the industry has made major contributions to the athletes who have brought medals and laurels and to the ones who are almost about to. The sad part is that we are supporting the athletes once they receive the medals. It would have been better if this contribution was made in their initial nurturing stages, like the times when they secured victory in the nationals. The cycle can shorten itself if this happens; this is something that can be practically done and is sustainable on a shorter as well as longer run.

Q 2) With India having just won 7 Olympic medals in Tokyo, what do you think needs to be done at the grassroot level to improve sporting performance at the biggest stage?

Everybody talks about what the US or China has done once the medal tally is out. This is the reality, the USA has almost 3080 medals if I am not wrong, out of those more than 1600 are gold. China has over thousands of medals. On the other hand, we have a total of 35 medals after the Tokyo Olympics. Directly aiming at medals is not a good idea, we are a population of 130 crore people out of 750 crore on the planet. Grassroot level is a very fancy term and there is no right strategy to grassroot activation, it depends on a lot of parameters. We are a huge country and when we talk about grassroot, we are talking about a village in Kerala, Gujarat, Arunachal or Kashmir. There are a lot of parameters which need to be followed. I believe the state governments need to step in for this and hire good consultants to develop a long term strategy. Not 3 year or 5 year, at least a 7 or 11 year strategy. That's where grassroot activation will change. I personally believe this is not something that can be done on a national level. If you want to see results, the state governments need to partner with the right consultants and organisations and they need to develop a flexible strategy to improve sports at the grassroot level.

Q 3) What do you think the Indian sporting ecosystem needs to do to promote a ‘sporting culture’ especially amongst the youth to encourage participation at the grassroots?

I believe the youth by default is diverting towards e-sports. That is the way I am seeing the stats but somehow there is a loss of revenue from the per-sports industry. On a bigger note, esports also falls in the bracket of the sports industry. The revenue pillar has been shifted but the outflow is from the same pipeline. Esports is one of the reasons why India's sporting economy is still surviving despite the global pandemic. If you look at the age of online gamers, it is between 15-27 which is the peak of youth. If you compare this data to the stats we have from 2010 you'll not find many big numbers back then. Somehow we need to maintain the balance between the esports and sports pipelines. In esports, the stakeholders are making multiple efforts to bring more and more consumers but I feel that the National Sports Federation is not taking the right measures to bring in new participants. In today's day and age you talk about boxing, if there are 100 participants, then the Boxing Federation of India is only interested in bringing excellence to those 100 boxers. There should be a parallel strategy to bring in 100 new participants into the sports. That is how the federation can sustain itself by bringing in a new cycle of the youth. The incentives need to increase as well at least till the state level. Maybe they can partner with corporates who can sponsor gifts or cash prizes. The Badminton Association of India has been doing that for a while now. There are a few other federations who have been partnering with automobile companies to give bikes as a prize. These are very simple techniques to attract participants.

Also read: Olympic medal effect: Mirabai Chanu already seeing heightened interest in weightlifting

Q 4) According to you, what role can the media play in developing a ‘sporting culture’, especially for sports that are not as popular as cricket?

If we look at the power of media, the best example I have ever seen is Neeraj Chopra. If you look at him, he is the 2nd most demanded sporting personality in India after Virat Kohli. In net worth, in demand and also the number of partnership opportunities coming to him and this is not just because of the gold medal. Media has enormous power, especially when it comes to sports because it is perceived as glamour. The thing that makes sports so big is the elegant glamour which comes along with it. Not just media, if you look at the concept of memes. Memes are something which we look at as a way to mimic someone but there are a lot of pages on Snapchat and Instagram which are making positive and healthy memes. There were hundreds of people sharing those posts on social media. That is a part of digital media but even the traditional media has a huge turbulence power with them because if tomorrow a certain sports  company gives a huge ad in the Times of India, I'm sure the next day many sports PR companies and consultancies will be reaching out to them because they have made this statement that a huge moment is happening in the landscape of sports and people are reading it. After all, it is a very small industry even if there are hundreds of sports out there. This Neeraj Chopra and Olympic scenario was a hyper movement and I think the media should not just focus on the medalist but also bring out success stories of someone like Aditi Ashok who came so close. This will not just help Aditi but also help the sport to grow. With one success story, we can inspire 10 more Aditi's in the span of 2 decades.

Q 5) What are your views about the esports revolution in India? What do you envision to be the future of esports in our country?

I believe that nobody has the proper definition because there is an enormous power shift in the Esport revolution. I have seen the esport revolution change especially after two things, firstly the pandemic and the statement made by Mr Ambani stating that ‘gaming is going to be bigger than YouTube and Bollywood’. Esport is already going places if you see the stakeholders, net worth and net evaluation of the esport companies which are handled by the unicorn companies, but I feel there has been a lot of shift during the pandemic as it has played a major role in esports. I personally don't like the casino and betting portals, although it is a lucrative and entertaining market, it is something that the customers are very young and dont have the exact knowledge of right and wrong in these online casino and betting portals. Otherwise, industry is flourishing as the current stakeholders are very ethical for the betterment of the youth as you can see leading stakeholders in MPL are supporting the Indian Olympic Association(IOA) and the athletes this Olympics and also plan to partner the other Olympians in the future. Till the time the stakeholders operate in an ethical manner then I feel the industry will go places but also it is going to get better, somehow we are dominating the stakeholders as well as the digital players are dominating the world map. The other new thing is a career option in esports in India and abroad, in the last 10 years we could say there is not much scope for gaming but today's world professional gamers are making a lot of money compared to the IT professions, thats is because the country esports ecosystem is changing and hopefully it can be perceived as a career option just like sports has changed if you consider the the early 80s and 90s where sports was not considered as a career option but now it is. In the same manner esport is developing and in another 3 to 5 years we can see this industry going places

Q 6) How do you think the Indian sports landscape will change in the future and why?

When we talk about the Indian sports landscape then the first thing that comes to my mind or any other person in India is cricket or mainly IPL. If you see IPL, the major chunk is gone into broadcasting which in turn comes under the entertainment industry, that's how sports cuts across various industries in India. The thing I personally want to see is India becoming the next global sports manufacturing hub. If we actually look at the core, it is very weak and the only way possible is by increasing the number of exports in India. It is very less, somewhere in the range of 150 to 200 crores, but it should be double that in the next few years as we already have the potential to achieve it. The global sport market is expected to grow but there is no certain dedicated design strategy to it, it is growing when the demand is growing so we need to work on ideas for demand aggregation. The sports goods market is valued at somewhere near 1 billion, if you see Pakistan and China they are producing a lot more footballs and cricket balls than India is making, so I don’t find a lot of learning curve which is required to set up a football or cricket ball factory. Good schemes from the government can help build special economic zones where people are ready to set up their manufacturing and assembly lines. In India there are currently three dedicated sport economic centres which are Jalandar, Meerut and Kerala, so we as a country need at least one special economic zone for mass production of sport in every state; this will help cater to the domestic as well as the international market. In order to make the sport industry thrive, the sport manufacturers need to rise and double itself in number.

New Delhi, Aug 10 (Olympic news) The Delhi High Court Tuesday refused to interfere with the non-selection of Arjuna Awardee para shuttler Raj Kumar for the mixed doubles badminton event in the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.

“I don't want to dishearten him but I can't help him. You are participating in singles (event). Don't get into this unnecessarily,” observed Justice Rekha Palli.

“You are an Arjuna Awardee. The nation will appreciate what you do,” said the judge.

Realising that the court was not inclined to entertain the petition, Kumar, who was represented by advocate Sunny Singla, withdrew the petition.

Senior advocate Nalin Kohli, appearing for the Badminton Association of India, submitted that neither his client nor the Paralympics Committee of India had a role to play in the selection process as the selection of a player depended on his/her performance in the qualifying events.

Also read: Indian Badminton duo Ashwini-Sikki finish runners-up in women's doubles at Denmark Masters International Challenge

Since Kumar did not qualify for entry on the basis of these events, his name was sent as a bipartite entry which was rejected by the international authorities, Kohli said.

  “90 players have to come. 90 is the sealing. In case it is not filled, if slot is there.. bipartite system kicks in.. Bipartite system is a discretionary process. PCI, BAI have no role to play,” he explained.

In his petition, Kumar sought a direction to the authorities to include his name in the list of selected candidates.

He contended that grave injustice was caused to him on account of the Paralympic Committee of India's selection panel selecting the pair ranked 31 -- Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli -- for the mixed doubles badminton event.

The petition alleged that the selection committee arbitrarily ignored the pair ranked 6, Raj Kumar and Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar, for Tokyo Paralympics.

“The Selection Committee of the PCI and respondent no. 4 (Badminton Association) in the arbitrary, capricious and discriminatory exercise of discretion failed to select/ sent the entry of the Petitioner in Tokyo Paralympic 2020 games in badminton competition mixed doubles SL 3-SU 5 event,” the petition said.

Kumar thus submitted that the selection process was not fair and transparent in view of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 which mandates judicious selection of players to represent India on merits for major International events.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 3 (Olympics news) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday hailed P V Sindhu as a sporting icon and one of the "greatest Olympians" the country has ever produced after she returned to the country to a warm reception following her bronze-medal winning feat at the Tokyo Games.

Sindhu on Sunday became the second Indian and first woman from the country to bag two Olympic medals after winning the bronze in Tokyo, five years after securing a silver at Rio Games.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad was accorded a warm welcome when she returned to the country on Tuesday.

"PV Sindhu is amongst India's greatest Olympians. She is India's icon, inspiration and has caught the imagination of every Indian who dreams of playing for the country," Thakur said after felicitating Sindhu and her Korean coach Park Tae-Sang here.

"Her incredible achievement - that of winning two Olympic medals in two consecutive Olympic Games will inspire a generation of budding athletes. Her success shows how the Target Olympic Podium scheme of the government has nurtured our Olympic hopefuls towards a podium finish." Sindhu, the reigning world champion, had defeated China's He Bing Jiao in the bronze play-off.

"I would like to thank each one of my fans because of the support and though we played without fans in the stadium, but I am sure billions have supported me from India and this success is the result of their wishes," Sindhu said.

"I would like to thank my parents for their constant support and scarifies and my coach for working with me and making this dream come true." Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy and Minister of State of Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik also feliciated Sindhu for her exceptional feat.

Also read: I was blank for few seconds, didn't know what to do: Sindhu on second Olympic medal

Secretary Sports, Ravi Mittal and Sindhu's parents were also present at the felicitation event.

Earlier, Sindhu was received at the Indira Gandhi International airport by Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Singhania, who also felicitated her and coach Park at the airport.

Sindhu is the second Indian athlete to return home with a medal from Tokyo after weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won the 49kg class silver on July 24.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who is assured of a 69kg medal, will compete in the semifinal against Busenaz Surmeneli (Turkey) on Wednesday.


News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 3 (Olympics news) The only Indian woman to win two Olympic medals, shuttler P V Sindhu on Tuesday received a warm welcome on her return to the country after claiming a bronze at the Tokyo Games.

Reigning world champion Sindhu, who had won a silver at the Rio Games five years ago, walked out of the Indira Gandhi International Terminal amid a round of applause from the airport staff. She was flanked by security officers and wearing a face mask.

The star Indian shuttler was received by Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Singhania, along with other officials of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Sindhu and her Korean coach Park Tae-sang were also felicitated by Singhania at the airport.

Also read: I was blank for few seconds, didn't know what to do: Sindhu on second Olympic medal

"I am very happy and excited of course, every body congratulated me and I am thankful to BAI and everyone for supporting and encouraging me. It is an exciting day and happy moment," Sindhu said.

By winning the bronze on Sunday, Sindhu became only the second Indian and first women athlete from the country to bag two Olympic medals.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad defeated China's He Bing Jiao in the bronze medal play-off.

News source: PTI 

Tokyo, Aug 2 (Olympic news) Reigning world champion P V Sindhu on Monday said she was completely blank after winning a second successive Olympic medal and it took her a while to realise the enormity of her historic achievement in the ongoing Games.

The 26-year-old Indian on Sunday etched her name among the all-time greats after winning badminton's women's singles bronze medal to add to the silver she won at Rio de Janeiro five years back. She became the first Indian woman and second overall from the country to achieve the feat.

"...I was blank, my coach was literally in tears, it was a big moment. I hugged him and said 'Thank you'. I didn't know what to do for 5-6 seconds, I shouted, so all emotions came together at that moment," she said during a virtual press conference.

In the third-place play-off, Sindhu beat China's He Bing Jiao. The win came after a painful loss in the semifinals to world no 1 Tai Tzu Ying.

Sindhu said coach Park Tae-sang's encouragement helped her to recover from the semifinal loss and claim the bronze for the country.

"After semis, I was really sad, I was in tears but my coach said it is not over yet. There were mixed emotions, if I should be sad or happy but Park told one thing. He said 'there is a lot of difference between a fourth position and a bronze' and that really hit me," she said.

"I went with the mindset that I have to give my 100 percent and get that medal." A lot of questions were raised when Sindhu decided to move out of the Pullela Gopichand Academy and train at the Gachibowli indoor stadium which had bigger halls similar to the venue here.

Sindhu said it was one of the best decisions, especially since drift played a role during the Games at the Musashino Forest Plaza here.

"Yeah, from the beginning there was no controversy, I mean, we had this opportunity to play in conditions similar to Olympics, so from February we have been playing there, it has really helped us because drift played a big role and I learnt a lot in Gachibowli, I learnt to control the shuttle better.

"It had international standard courts with air conditioners, which was important. So I feel it was the best decision...We also got used to different players from Suchitra academy also. It was important.

"Badminton Association of India and Sports Authority of India have also been very supportive always." Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu has revealed that Sindhu's words of encouragement after the medal ceremony had left her in tears after she went down in the Olympics women's singles final.

Asked about the gesture, Sindhu said: "At the end of the day, when you play sports, you are opponents and you don't have that mercy but when the match is over you come back to normal friendship and that's what matters at the end of the day.

"It takes couple of seconds or minutes to say 'hard luck' or just communicate and talk. That kind of communication is very important between sportspersons.

"When you lose and you see someone lose, you know how much it hurts, you understand the feeling. When Tai Tzu lost, I knew that she was sad, so I said it was not her day and enjoy the day. It was a small kind of talk with her and a hug." In the last five years, Sindhu has worked with three different foreign coaches including Indonesia's Mulyo Handoyo, Korea's Kim Ji Hyun and Park.

"I learnt a lot from each coach. It is good to learn new skills and utilise them whenever needed. They all were different, with different mindsets. I'm happy I have with me the knowledge that they taught me." Sindhu also said she will want to continue training under Park, who was initially hired to train the men's singles players but started working with Sindhu after the abrupt departure of Kim Ji Hyun.

Also read: Sindhu's sincere encouragement left me in tears, reveals Olympic silver-medallist shuttler Tai Tzu

"I have known him for a long time when he was training with the Korean team...initially it took us time to get to know each other, about the conditions but there was this dream to get an Olympic medal so we worked really hard.

"Especially in this pandemic lot of people suffered, he couldn't go home, he just went home for 13 days. So it is all his hard work and we finally got this medal back to the country.

"Park has been my coach for about a year and a half, so yeah, I would love to continue with him as my coach." Asked about her plans for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sindhu laughed and said: "There is still time for Paris, let me just cherish the moment, I will give my best and give my percent." 

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Jul 14 (Badminton news) World champion P V Sindhu will open her campaign in the Tokyo Olympics against Polikarpova Ksenia of Israel on July 25.

Sindhu, who had lost to Spain's Carolina Marin in the 2016 Olympics final, has been clubbed in an easy Group J, also comprising Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi.

Ngan Yi is ranked 34th in the world while Polikarpova is 58th.

World number 7 Sindhu is seeded sixth in the tournament.

The Tokyo Games organisers on Wednesday issued the schedule of the first two days of competition.

Also read: Badminton Association of India writes to SAI to conduct national camp ahead of domestic season

In men's singles, B Sai Praneeth will face Misha Zilberman of Israel in his opening Group D match on the first day of competitions on July 24. The Indian is seeded sixth.

In the singles, the top player from every group will advance to the knock-out round. The world no. 10 men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Ranki Reddy and Chirag Shetty will take on Chinese Taipei duo of Lee Yang and Wng Chi-Lin in their opening Group A match. News source: PTI

New Delhi, Jul 12 (Badminton news) In its bid to restart the domestic season under strict COVID-19 protocols after more than a year, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has requested the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to approve a national camp for the shuttlers in the first week of next month.

According to BAI's proposal, the camp, for both senior and junior shuttlers, will be held in three cities -- Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore under strict COVID-19 protocols.

Around 70-75 players will be part of the camp, including top players like Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, N sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa.

"The domestic badminton scene as well as the National Camp needs to resume if all goes well and the pandemic doesn't have any more damaging impact on lives," BAI general secretary Ajay Kumar Singhania told PTI.

"We have written to SAI proposing the resumption of the camp from the first week of August. We are awaiting to hear from them." BAI had last month said that it has asked its state units to get their players and officials vaccinated for the resumption of the domestic season under strict COVID-19 guidelines.

According to the guidelines of the BAI, players above the age of 18, coaches, technical officials, organising team and staff need to be fully vaccinated and are required to carry their certificates with valid barcodes.

Also read: I have got a good draw but it's not going to be easy: Shuttler Sindhu

For the shuttlers below 18 years of age, it will be made mandatory to carry a negative RT-PCR report with a barcode, 96 hours prior to departure from their respective stations.

The 2021-22 season will kick-start with senior Ranking Tournaments, followed by events in age categories.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Jul 9 (Badminton news) A strong medal contender at the Tokyo Games, ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu on Friday admitted that she has got a favourable draw but insisted that she has to be on top of her game since no match will be easy at the Olympic level.

Reigning world champion and Rio Games silver medallist, Sindhu has been drawn with Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan Yi (ranked 34th) and Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova (ranked 58th) in Group J of the women's singles event.

"It's a good draw in the group stage. Hong Kong girl plays well and it'll going to be a good match," Sindhu, who is world number seven, said in a release issued by Badminton Association of India (BAI).

"Everybody is going to be in top form, I hope I do well. Every match is important so I will take match by match. This is Olympic and it is not going to be easy, each point is very important," said the sixth seed.

Sindhu has an all-win record against her group stage opponents Ngan Yi and Polikarpova in the five and two encounters played so far against them respectively.

In men's singles, World No. 15 B Sai Praneeth has been placed in Group D alongside World No. 29 Mark Caljouw of Netherlands and World No. 47 Israeli shuttler Misha Zilberman.

"It's a mixed draw, not so tough and not so good. I have to be 100 percent to win all matches and it will be a good match for me," World Championships bronze medallist Praneeth said. World no 10 men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, however, are expected to face a stiff challenge in the league stage.

The duo have been placed in the Group A alongside top-seed and World No. 1 Indonesian duo of Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, who also finished at the top in the Race to Tokyo standing, and World No. 3 Chinese Taipei pair of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin.

England's Ben Lane and Sean Vendy are the fourth pair placed in Group A.

Alsor ead: Tokyo Olympics: Badminton players Sindhu, Praneeth get easy draws; tough task for Chirag-Satwik

"It's a very even group which means even if you lose a match, you are still in the game because nobody knows what will happen," India's Danish doubles coach Mathias Boe said.

"We'll focus on preparing as much as possible in the last few weeks. We will attack on court and hopefully, we get good results. I am positive, it's a good challenge for us." In the singles category, 42 players are divided into 14 groups with each group consisting of three players. Top player from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.

While in the doubles category, 16 pairs are divided into four groups with top two pairs from each group advancing to the last-eight stage.

Badminton matches will kick-start from July 24.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Jul 6 (Olympics news) Chief National coach Pullela Gopichand, who guided India to two Olympic medals, has opted out of India's Olympic-bound badminton contingent to create space for Indonesian Agus Dwi Santosa, who trains singles shuttler B Sai Praneeth.

Gopichand, under whose guidance Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu claimed a bronze and a silver medal at London and Rio Games respectively, opted out after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) cleared only five-members support staff, that includes three coaches and two physios.

In the run-up to the Olympics, Sindhu has been training under Korean coach Tae Sang Park at the Gachibowli Indoor stadium while Santoso has been working with Praneeth.

Denmark's Mathias Boe was appointed to guide Chirag and Satwik in their maiden Games.

These four shuttlers will represent India's challenge at the Games.

"With just one quota available, Gopichand decided to opt out in order to ensure Santosa could be accommodated who has been training with Sai (Praneeth) since the pandemic," Badminton Association of India (BAI) General Secretary Ajay Singhania told PTI.

It is obvious that players would prefer to have their respective coaches during the matches. With Gopichand deciding not to go, the Indian badminton contingent will comprise nine members, including three foreign coaches -- Santoso, Tae Sang and Boe -- and two physios Sumansh Sivalanka and Evangline Baddam (female) and four players.

Last month, the BAI had written to the IOA, proposing a seven-member support staff to accompany the players.

However, with strict COVID-19 protocols and an allotted quota of 33% of support staff, only 5-member supper staff members could be cleared.

According to the norms, the number of officials travelling to Olympics cannot be more than one-third of the athlete. However, the sports ministry can allow additional officials at no cost to the government.

Also read: Hockey striker Gurjant wants to make opportunities count in Tokyo Olympics

News source: PTI

In sports news, New Delhi, Jul 1,  Olympic-bound shuttler B Sai Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth have been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award by the Badminton Association of India, which has also recommended three players for the Arjuna award.

Praneeth, who won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championship, is the only men's singles shuttler to have qualified for the Tokyo Games.

Srikanth has been struggling of late but won four titles in 2017.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) nominated HS Prannoy, Pranav Jerry Chopra and Sameer Verma for the Arjuna honour.

The federation also sent applications of S Muralidharan and PU Bhaskar Babu for the Dronacharya award.

Muralidharan is already a recipient of Dronacharya Life Time achievement award.

Leroy D'sa and PVV Lakshmi have been nominated for the Dhyanchand award.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Jun 29 (Badminton News) The Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Tuesday said it has asked its state units to get their players and officials vaccinated for the resumption of the domestic season under strict COVID-19 guidelines.

According to the guidelines of the BAI, players above the age of 18, coaches, technical officials, organizing team and staff need to be fully vaccinated and are required to carry their certificates with valid barcodes.

For the shuttlers below 18 years of age, it will be made mandatory to carry a negative RT-PCR report with a barcode, 96 hours prior to departure from their respective stations.

The 2021-22 season will kick-start with senior Ranking Tournaments, followed by events in age categories.

"Domestic season has been off for more than a year now. We have been trying to start it but the situation did not permit us to proceed. We want to ensure that when the tournaments begin, we start with full participation," BAI General Secretary Ajay Singhania said in a release.

"At the same time, all safety protocols are in place and hence it is important to encourage vaccinations. The purpose of this intimation is to apprise everyone, all the state association players and stakeholders to get vaccinations done immediately.” BAI had tried to resume domestic action with senior Ranking Tournaments in April earlier this year with a revamped structure and revised prize money worth Rs 2.2 crore.

But, with the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the country, the tournaments had to be postponed. News Source: PTI

New Delhi, Jun 14 Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary general Ajay Singhania on Monday called on sports minister Kiren Rijiju to apprise him of the preparation of Indian shuttlers for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

"On BAI President @himantabiswa's advice, GS Ajay Singhania today met Hon'ble Sports Minister @KirenRijiju &updated him about the status & immediate needs of Tokyobound #badminton players. The Minister is upbeat about preparation &wished shuttlers to bring laurels for the nation," BAI tweeted.

World champion and Rio Olympics silver-medallist P V Sindhu, World Championship bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth and world no.10 men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have qualified for the Tokyo Games.

The BAI had recently written to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to allow four coaches, including chief coach Pullela Gopichand, and two physios to travel with the four shuttlers to Tokyo.

The Sports ministry had decided against sending its delegation to Tokyo Olympics to accommodate "maximum" support staff, including coaches and physios, for the athletes competing in the Summer Games. News source PTI

New Delhi, Jun 8 The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has written to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for sanction of four travelling coaches, including chief national coach Pullela Gopichand, and two physios to travel with the Indian badminton contingent to the Tokyo Olympics.

Apart from Gopichand, who has been to the last three Olympics, the three foreign coaches -- Agus Dwi Santoso (Indonesia), Park Tae Sang (Korea) and Mathias Boe (Denmark) were named in the letter, besides the two physios Sumansh Sivalanka and Evangline Baddam (female).

"Badminton has best shot at medals in Tokyo and a letter was sent to IOA to this respect on Monday mentioning the six member support team that also includes chief coach Gopichand's name along with the squad of four players," a BAI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Rio silver medallist P V Sindhu, World Championship bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth and World No 10 men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are the Indian shuttlers who have qualified for the Tokyo Games scheduled to begin on July 23.

According to the norms, the number of officials travelling to Olympics cannot be more than one-third of the athlete. However, the sports ministry can allow additional officials at no cost to the government.

In the run-up to the Olympics, Sindhu has been training under Park at the Gachibowli Indoor stadium, while Santoso has been working with Praneeth and Boe was appointed to guide Chirag and Satwik in their maiden Games.

Hence, the BAI sought the opinion of the Olympic-bound Indian shuttlers before writting to the IOA.

With Gopichand at the helm of affairs, India had returned with a bronze and a silver from the last two editions at London and Rio de Janeiro.

However, the chief coach had last week reportedly said that he might not go to Tokyo this time.

"It is going to be tough, because you get only 1/3rd of the support staff contingent going with the team ... I could be looking at not travelling to Tokyo as well because I do believe that the immediate coaches who have trained the players should go as the first priority," he had said during a TV interview. New source PTI 

New Delhi, May 12 Star Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth's chances of booking berths for Tokyo Olympics are all but over after the world body on Wednesday cancelled the last qualifying event in Singapore due to the coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

The tournament organisers Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) and Badminton World Federation (BWF) jointly agreed to cancel the Singapore Open scheduled for June 1-6.

The Singapore Open, a Super 500 event on the BWF World Tour, was the last tournament offering Race To Tokyo ranking points inside the Olympic qualifying window.

"In the interests of all players, tournament personnel and the local community’s health and safety, the event has been cancelled. BWF can confirm the tournament will not be rescheduled," the BWF said in a statement.

"All attempts were made by the organisers and BWF to provide a safe tournament environment for all participants. However, rising COVID-19 cases globally led to complex challenges in managing inbound travel." The BWF said it will issue a further statement on Tokyo Olympics qualifying at a later date.

The chances of London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina and Srikanth qualifying for the Olympics had hinged on the Singapore Open after the Malaysian Open (May 25 to 30) was postponed on May 7.

After the postponement of the Malaysian Open, Badminton Association of India (BAI) had reached out to the world body, seeking clarity on the qualification scenario for its shuttlers.

With Singapore suspending all flights from COVID-ravaged India, it was always going to be a difficult task for the Indian players, to travel to the country for the last qualifier.

Indian shuttlers who have already made the cut for the Olympics include PV Sindhu, B Sai Praneeth and the men's doubles pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, May 7 The Malaysia Open Super 750 tournament, one of badminton's last two Olympic qualifying events, was on Friday postponed due to a recent COVID-19 surge in the host country, dealing a severe blow to the Tokyo hopes of Indian stars like Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth.

The USD 600,000 event was scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur from May 25 to 30.

"All attempts were made by the organisers and BWF to provide a safe tournament environment for all participants, but the recent surge in cases left no choice but to postpone the tournament," Badminton World Federation said in a statement.

"BWF can confirm the rescheduled tournament will no longer take place in the Olympic qualifying window. New tournament dates will be confirmed at a later date." The decision came as a huge setback for London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina and men's star Srikanth's last hopes of Olympic qualification.

Following the postponement of the India Open (May 11-16), Saina and Srikanth's qualification for the Tokyo Games hinged on the Kuala Lumpur event followed by the Singapore Open (June 1-6).

It is highly unlikely that the Indian duo will be able to travel to Singapore as the country has suspended all flights from COVID-ravaged India.

The Badminton Association of India had earlier said that as per the laid-out guidelines, for any Indian to enter Singapore, they have to either be in quarantine in a foreign country other than India for 14 days to be allowed to enter Singapore.

"Alternatively all players have to maintain a 21 days quarantine in Singapore." Malaysia too has banned all flights from India and BAI had been exploring alternative routes to reach there via Doha or Sri Lanka but with the suspension of the Kuala Lumpur event, efforts would now be directed towards Singapore.

Indian shuttlers who have already made the cut for the Olympics include PV Sindhu, B Sai Praneeth and the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.

Besides the quartet, Srikanth, Saina and the women's doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa were supposed to participate in the two Olympic qualifiers. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, May 4 Legendary Indian badminton player Prakash Padukone has tested positive for COVID-19 and is recovering from the infection at a hospital in Bengaluru.

The 65-year-old, who is the first Indian to win the prestigious All England Championships title in 1980, is likely to be discharged later this week.

"Around 10 days back, Prakash, his wife (Ujjala) and second daughter (Anisha), they developed symptoms and got themselves tested and the results came out to be positive," Vimal Kumar, a close friend of the legendary shuttler and director at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), told PTI.

"They got themselves isolated but after a week Prakash's fever didn't come down, so last Saturday, he was admitted to a hospital here in Bengaluru.

"He is okay now. All his parameters are fine, his wife and daughter are at home and he too will be hopefully discharged in 2-3 days," he added.

One the most revered figures in world badminton, Padukone had emerged as a role model of Indian sports during his playing days in the 1970s and 1980s.

Padukone was also the first Indian to win a medal at the World Championships after clinching a bronze in the 1983 edition.

He was also the first Indian to be ranked world number one after achieving the feat in 1980 following back-to-back title wins at the Denmark Open, All England Championships and Swedish Open.

Following his retirement in 1991, Padukone served as the chairman of Badminton Association of India (BAI). He was also the coach of the Indian team from 1993 to 1996. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi, Apr 19 The India Open Super 500 tournament, one of the last three qualifying events for the Tokyo Olympics, was on Monday postponed due to raging COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The USD 400,000 India Open was scheduled to be held behind closed doors in the national capital from May 11 to 16. "Considering the current challenges, BAI is left with no option but to announce the postponement of the tournament for the time being," Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Singhania said at a virtual press conference. "Several rounds of discussions were held with BWF as well as the Delhi government and other stakeholders and accessing the safety of players and officials BAI needed to take this decision." India have reported 2,73,810 new positive cases in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day surge taking the country's caseload past the 1.5 crore mark. As many as 1,619 people have succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours. Delhi has emerged as the worst hit city with 25,462 cases reported on Sunday. Given the grave situation, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced a six-day lockdown starting tonight till next Monday. With COVID-19 cases rising, many top players, including Olympic champion Carolina Marin, former world champion Ratchanok Intanon and Denmark's duo of Anders Antonsen and Rasmus Gemke had withdrawn from the Olympic ranking event. "We had an entry of 228 players and close to 300 peoples gathering including coaches, support staff and officials and the circumstances are such that the 2021 edition of Yonex-Sunrise India Open seems for now a very risky affair," Singhania said. The last edition of the India Open too was cancelled after it was initially postponed from March to December. Syed Modi Super 300 event, which was slated for November 17 to 22, was also cancelled in the revised calendar. News source: PTI

Badminton action is all set to return with Yonex - Sunrise India Open 2021. The event will feature Rio Olympics champion Carolina Marin and World No.1 Kento Momota among other elite international entries at the much-awaited Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2021. The action will take place behind closed doors in the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall at New Delhi starting from May 11-16.

The Tournament that will also be an Olympic qualifier event, has attracted 228 (114 men and 114 women) entries from 33 different national associations that also includes China. The glorious annual tournament, categorised as BWF World Tour Super 500 event, will be one of the final few qualification events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and will be a testimony to some thrilling action.

However, owing to the rapid rise in covid cases in India, the event will be held in a bio secure bubble in the absence of spectators and media while adhering to strict COVID-19 safety protocols.

All the athletes along with the officials coming from South Africa, Brazil, Middle East and European nations including UK will undergo a 7-day quarantine period and will have to report in Delhi on May 3. Players and officials coming from rest of the world can arrive on May 6 and serve a 4-day quarantine period.

Delhi Government will carry out the RT-PCR test on arrival on May 3 and 6 and also on May 9 and 14. Badminton Association of India (BAI) will make available one additional meal of choice for all participants, officials as well as for support staff members during the quarantine period.

“We are really happy to finally be able resume badminton action and host such top shuttlers from across the world. But with the recent spike in cases, we have to be more cautious. Players’ safety has always been of prime importance and our top priority and this tournament will be no different. We will be implementing and following strict COVID-19 protocols and guidelines as shared by Government of India and Delhi Government,” Organising Secretary and General Secretary of BAI Ajay Singhania said.

“We understand spectators have been an integral part of our growth story but this year despite it being an Olympic qualifier and an array of star shuttlers in action, we have to take the decision of conducting the tournament in a bio bubble. We hope fans and media will understand the challenges and support us. We will be using all our digital handles to broadcast and interact with fans and bring the players and fans much closer,” Singhania added.

Marin, the three-time world champion will spearhead the women’s singles category along with other Top-10 players like Akane Yamaguchi, 2019 World Champion Indian  Shuttler PV Sindhu, Korea’s An Se-Young and Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong and the former World No. 1 Saina Nehwal.

India has the biggest contingent with 48 players consisting of 27 women and 21 men. while Malaysia will have the second largest squad with 26 shuttlers including 10 women and 16 men. 10 shuttlers that include 4 women and 6 men from China are also part of the participants list.

In the men’s singles category, the Top-10 players in the event will include two-time world champion Momota, defending champion Viktor Axelson, Anders Antonsen and current All England Open champion Zii Jia Lee. Former world No. 1 Srikanth Kidambi will lead the contention for the hosts alongside B Sai Praneeth, HS Prannoy and Parupalli Kashyap.

India’s men’s doubles contention will be led by World No. 10 pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. Meanwhile Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will look forward to crucial Olympic qualification points in women’s doubles. Ponnappa will also pair with Satwik in the mixed doubles event which features Japanese duo of Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino leading the list of six Top-10 combinations in the event.

The draw will be announced on April 20.The last date for withdrawal of entry is April 19.
 

New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) Olympic champion Carolina Marin and World No. 1 Kento Momota will headline a star-studded field of international shuttlers when the India Open Super 500 event is held here from May 11 to 16, albeit behind closed doors due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. The USD 400,000 tournament, one of the last few qualification events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, has attracted 228 (114 men and 114 women) entries from 33 different national associations, including China. However, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) said "due to the rapidly rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the tournament will be contested in a bio-secure bubble without spectators and media while implementing strict COVID-19 safety protocols." "All the players and officials coming from South Africa, Brazil, Middle East and European countries including UK will be serving a 7-day quarantine period and have to report in the capital city on May 3," BAI said in a release. "... Players and officials from rest of the world can arrive on May 6 and undergo a 4-day quarantine period." On the court, three-time world champion Marin will lead the women's singles category along with other Top-10 shuttlers such as Akane Yamaguchi, 2019 world champion PV Sindhu, Korea's An Se-Young and Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong. India boasts of the largest contingent with 48 players (27 women and 21 men), while Malaysia has fielded the second biggest squad with 26 shuttlers, which includes 10 women and 16 men. A total of 10 shuttlers (4 women and 6 men) from China are also part of the participants list. Among the men, two-time world champion Momota, defending champion Viktor Axelson, Anders Antonsen and reigning All England Open champion Zii Jia Lee will be in the fray. Former World No. 1 Srikanth Kidambi will lead the Indian charge along with B Sai Praneeth, HS Prannoy and Parupalli Kashyap. India's men's doubles challenge will be spearheaded by World No. 10 pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, while Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will aim for some valuable Olympic qualification points in the women's doubles. Ponnappa will also partner Satwik in the mixed doubles category which sees the Japanese pair of Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino leading the list of six Top-10 combinations in fray. The last date for withdrawal of entry is April 19 while the draw will be announced on April 20. The governing body said "Delhi Government will conduct RT-PCR test on arrival on May 3 and 6 as well as on May 9 and 14. "We are really happy to finally be able resume badminton action. But with the recent spike in cases, we have to be more cautious," BAI general secretary of BAI Ajay Singhania said. "We understand spectators have been an integral part of our growth story but this year despite it being an Olympic qualifier and an array of star shuttlers in action, we have to take the decision of conducting the tournament in a bio bubble."

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) Young shuttlers Varun Kapur and Samiya Imad Farooqui have attained career-best second spots in their respective categories in the latest BWF's junior world rankings, which features six Indians in the top-10. Varun jumped four places among male singles players, while Samiya climbed six spots in the female category. Varun had a great run last year as he picked his sixth junior title, claiming the XII Portuguese International 2020 in November. While 17-year-old Samiya, a U-15 Asian Badminton Championship winner, has been one of the consistent performers at the junior circuit last year. "It's great to see many junior shuttlers doing so well. We currently have 10 Indians in the top-20 and the juniors have shown a lot of promise," Badminton Association of India (BAI) President Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a release. "This ranking will work as a desired boost for each of them and surely motivate them to work harder as it has been tough year for COVID-19 affected sporting world and badminton is trying to make a comeback after almost a year's break." BWF had frozen the world junior rankings as of March 17, 2020, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the recommencement of some international junior tournaments, BWF decided to add subsequent International junior tournament results to the world junior rankings without deducting points from previous weeks, thereby creating a rolling ranking until such time as the world junior rankings can be fully unfrozen. While Varun is the only Indian in the top 10 among male shuttlers, the female singles category has three other Indian shuttlers -- Tasnim Mir (4), Treesa Jolly (8) and Aditi Bhatt (10) -- in the top-10 list. In the women's doubles category, Tressa (8), Tanisha Crasto (9) and Aditi (9) are among the Indians who are placed inside top-10. "BAI executive council meeting and AGM is scheduled for January 30 in Delhi. We will be finalising a detailed plan on how to conduct domestic tournaments as well as the key junior tournaments that BAI plans to send its players this year," said BAI General Secretary Ajay Singhania. "We will also be discussing the future plans related to coaching and training for junior shuttlers."

Bangkok, Jan 12 (PTI) Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy were cleared to compete in the Thailand Open after they tested negative for COVID-19, invalidating their previous positive results that forced them out of the tournament hours earlier on a chaotic Tuesday. Both the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Association of India (BAI) confirmed the development. "Both Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy have been cleared to participate in the ongoing Yonex Thailand Open after the fourth-round tests reports confirmed that both shuttlers have been tested negative for COVID-19," BAI said in a statement. The national body said it was possible after the national body took up the matter with BWF. "BAI have taken up the matter with topmost BWF officials to ensure if tests were negative, matches for respective players should be rescheduled and no walkover is given," BAI added. Earlier in the day, chaos gripped India's campaign at the tournament when Olymic medallist Saina was forced out following a positive COVID-19 test, while Prannoy's participation hung in balance after his sample came out negative following a positive result in a bizarre turn of events. Former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap too was forced to withdraw "due to close proximity" with wife and fellow shuttler Saina. But the day, which also witnessed a shock first-round exit of reigning world champion and Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu, ended on a better note for the Indians following the two shuttlers' clearance. "Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT) can confirm three of the four players who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier today at the Asian Leg of the HSBC BWF World Tour have been cleared to take their place in the draw," the apex body said. "They are confirmed as Saina Nehwal (India), HS Prannoy (India), and Jones Ralfy Jansen (Germany)," BWF added in its statement. The BWF said the said players who had earlier tested positive for the virus, are "not currently infected". "Nehwal, Prannoy and Jansen tested positive on the PCR test but their antibody IgG was positive. A positive antibody test means a person has been infected with the COVID-19 virus at some point in the past. It does not mean they are currently infected. "The trio all contracted COVID-19 in late 2020. The committee was satisfied that they are not infected and do not pose a danger to the tournament." Saina and Prannoy had recovered from COVID-19 last month and along with the Indian team had been looking to participate in the Asia leg events comprising the Thailand Open (January 12-17), TOYOTA Thailand Open (January 19-24) and the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 (January 27-31). In its statement, BAI added, "After continuous efforts from BAI including doctors being sent immediately when Kidambi Srikanth started bleeding were taken up. BWF and Badminton Thailand were cooperative and BAI thank all the stakeholders for their support including the tournament organisers. The matches will be rescheduled for Saina and Parupalli Kashyap for Wednesday. However, Kashyap's participation will depend on the result of his test conducted in the afternoon. Regarding Prannoy, the BWF had said he would be retested after conflicting reports came out of earlier samples. Saina was scheduled to play Kisona Salvaduray of Malaysia, while Kashyap was supposed to face Canada's Jason Anthony Ho-Shue in the first round on Tuesday. However, Prannoy is scheduled to play his first match on Wednesday, taking on Malaysia's eighth seed Lee Zii Jia. Saina, Prannoy, Kashyap along with RMV Gurusaidutt and Pranaav Chopra had tested positive last month and had served the mandatory quarantine period. They had also cleared the pre-departure COVID-19 test and also tested negative on arrival in Bangkok. The Indian contingent includes the likes of Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Sourabh Verma, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty and Ashwini Ponappa.