Uncertainty looms over India Open as China’s participation in jeopardy

The Government of India has sent some questions to the Badminton Association of India (BAI) asking to get clarity on the health status of the Chinese shuttlers, who are to arrive in the national capital to participate in the India Open later this month.

THE Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) urged the BAI to provide details about the players following which the ministry will decide on Chinese players’ entry into the country to participate in this Super 500 tournament important for Tokyo Olympic qualification.

According to reports the some of the questions asked by the Ministry demand to know the region/state of China from where the ‘Players/Officials belong?’, another questions seeks clarity on how many players/officials have undergone for medical check-up and medical certificate has been issued’?, ‘How many players / Officials are coming from the other countries?‘

It has been further reported that soon after receiving the questionnaire from the center the Badminton Association of India has forwarded it to their Chinese counterpart and a response is awaited.

BAI secretary Ajay Singhania told PTI,

“We have sent the questions received from the external affairs ministry to the Chinese Badminton Association. We are waiting for a response. Once they revert, we will send them to the Ministry to start the visa process.”

It is to be noted the Super 500 Indian Open is a crucial event for the Olympics qualification. The tournament is scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium from March 24 to 29. Further, the 60-plus member’s Chinese squad has comprised of some of the greats of the games including World No 1 Chen Yufei, world number eight He Bingjiao and former All England champion Shi Yu Qi.

Following the outbreak of Coronavirus in China the Indian government has put flying bans on China and Hong Kong. However, the BAI is hopeful that MEA will grant visas to the Chinese shuttlers as most of them have been training in Britain and were also cleared to play three tournaments in Europe — German Open, the All England Open and the Swiss Open.