All England Open: Indonesia withdrawn due to COVID-19 concerns

The whole contingent has been directed to isolate for the next 10 days.

Indonesian shuttlers received disappointing news, as they were withdrawn from the ongoing All England Open Badminton Championship 2021 in Birmingham. The decision comes In the backdrop of a COVID-19 positive case on the flight that the Indonesia contingent was a part of. The Badminton World Federation announced on Wednesday.

What has been said?

The BWF released an official statement in this regard which said, “Team members from the Indonesian team have been contacted by the UK Government’s National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace service and are required to self-isolate with immediate effect.

“All Indonesian players will not be able to compete in the current or next round of the tournament and have therefore been withdrawn from the All England Open 2021." the statement further read.

Indonesian Contingent

Indonesia are a strong outfit and have a score of exceptional shuttlers to boast of. Their two main prospects Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and Jonatan Christie, fourth and fifth seeds respectively, will no longer be able to compete in the prestigious tournament.

World No. 7 Jonathan Christie had also secured victory in his opening game against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn by a score of 21-13, 24-22. Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, the number two seeds in the Men’s Doubles will also be unable to build on their first round victory in the tournament along with Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo, who are the number one seeds in the same bracket. 

The authorities have clarified that the results of the matches already completed would stand and any shuttler who is drawn against an Indonesia player(s) will receive an automatic walkover into the next round. 

This is an unpleasant situation for the tournament organisers, as the Indonesian players have a huge fan following, and with players from China, South Korea and Taiwan already absent due to travel restrictions, this is a major setback.

On the other hand, the Indian contingent has not been able to get off to a good start, with players like Kidambi Srikanth, Parupalli Kashyap and Saina Nehwal already out of contention after the first round of matches.

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