The Covid-19 pandemic has continued to hamper all activities including sports events as now the India Open tournament has been rocked by the virus. Seven Indian players- Kidambi Srikanth, Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Thakar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Singhi and Khushi Gupta have tested positive and have withdrawn from the event, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Thursday.
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“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 Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament,” the world governing body said in a statement.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.”
The BWF announced the news in the wee hours on Thursday but didn’t reveal the names of the seven players.
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The entire England badminton contingent had also withdrawn ahead of the Super 500 event after the country’s doubles specialist Sean Vendy and coach Nathan Robertson tested positive for the virus.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 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.
