NEW DELHI: On Thursday 13 January the BWF (Badminton World Federation) informed that as many as seven players of the Indian Open Tournament have been tested for COVID-19 positive.
The 2022 edition of the India Open tournament is organized by the Badminton Association of India and is held in KD Jadhav Indoor Hall of the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Delhi. It is hosted after a gap of 3 years as the earlier two editions of the event was cancelled in view of the global pandemic COVID-19.
The international governing body through a statement stated that the players of the India Open Tournament have come up with a positive result after conducting a mandatory RT-PCR test on Tuesday 11 January 2022. It also added that doubles partners considered close contact of the 7 covid positive tested players has been withdrawn from the event.
These seven players will not be replaced by others in the main draw but their opponents will be allowed for a walk over to the next level of the game.
The Badminton World Federation had made the announcement of this information on Thursday though it has decided not to share the names of the seven players of the India Open tournament.
Notable the players namely Dhruv Rawat, double specialist Manu Attri and bronze medalist of the world championship 2019 B Sai Praneeth had tested COVID-19 positive before their departure for Delhi and then they were withdrawn from the game prior to its start.
Earlier when Coach Nathan Robertson and double specialist of India, Sean Vendy were tested positive for covid, the whole England badminton squad had withdrawn prior to the Super 500 tournament.
The Indian players who successfully reached the 2nd round of the India Open Tournament are London Games bronze winner Saina Nehwal, 2-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, World Championship Bronze medalist Lakshya Sen and World Championship Silver medalist Kidambi Srikanth.
To maintain the COVID-19 protocols each and every player is regularly tested inside the hotel and outside the stadium.
Among the top competitors from outside the country, Busanan Ongbamrungphan from Thailand, 3-time men's doubles world champion Mohammad Ahsan and world champion Loh Kean Yew are participating in the event.
Delhi has recently reported a total of 27,561 COVID-19 positive cases which is regarded as the second-highest single-day rise since the beginning of the pandemic. The death toll in the national capital has risen to 40 on Wednesday 12 January.
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