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In a major setback to India's preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, the top shuttlers are likely to withdraw from the Malaysia Open due to COVID-19 restrictions put in place for Indian arrivals.
The Sports Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs have approached the Malaysian government with a request to allow the Indian team to travel and participate in the Super 750 tournament.
However, the travel of the team may not be possible immediately amid the worsening second wave of COVID-19 cases in India.
"Indian nationals won’t be allowed in Malaysia as well as in Singapore, this is already in public knowledge. This is why we had written to both the Member Countries to consider our request as a special case with respect to the Olympic qualification of some of our players."
"The matter has been taken up with BWF as well and we are awaiting Badminton Malaysia’s response. Until they decline any possibility we will continue to pursue every opportunity that we have to send our shuttlers," Ajay Kumar, general secretary of Badminton Association of India, was quoted as saying.
Saina, Srikanth’s Tokyo Olympics hopes almost dashed
The sudden turn of events struck a big blow to Saina and Srikanth's hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. While Saina ranks 22nd on the rankings ladder, Srikanth is currently in the 20th spot.
The shuttlers will have a final shot at winning quotas for the Tokyo Olympics when they compete at the Singapore Open from June 1-6. However, a cloud of uncertainty still hangs over India's participation in the wake of imposed curbs on travel from the country.
As of now, the Indian shuttlers who have virtually assured themselves of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics are P V Sindhu, Sai Praneeth, and the doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
Also Read: How are COVID-19 travel restrictions hurting India's Tokyo Olympics preparations?
