New Delhi, A teenager, who was a sparring partner for the Taiwanese (Chinese Taipei) badminton team has tested positive for coronavirus, drawing concern from Indian badminton players. The teenager, according to a Taiwanese report that was tweeted by Danish player Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, was part of the Taiwanese contingent for the All England Championships.
Indian players Saina Nehwal, HS Prannoy, Ashwini Ponnappa, Parupalli Kashyap and Ajay Jayaram were among players who showed their concern over the development by reacting to Vittinghus’ tweet. “No way … really really shocked,” Saina said.
Saina had earlier slammed the organisers of the All England Championships, saying that they had placed financial gains above the safety of the players in organising it without any restrictions among the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament was held from March 11 to 15 with no restrictions on stadium attendances.
“Only thing I can think of is that rather than the players welfare n feelings , financial reasons were given more importance. Otherwise there was no other reason for the #AllEnglandOpen2020 to go on last week .. #QuarantineLife,” Saina had tweeted.
The underfire Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Friday announced the cancellation of five events, including the continental tournaments Asian Championships, Pan Am Individual Championships and European Championships.
