Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth’s Olympic hopes over after BWF cancels Singapore Open

Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth’s Olympic hopes over after BWF cancels Singapore Open

Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal

In what is a crushing blow to Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth‘s hopes of qualifying for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in July, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) took the decision of canceling the Singapore Open 2021 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases around the world. Further, they confirmed that the tournament was not postponed and that there won’t any rescheduling.

The event was the last hope for Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth as only a great performance in the Super 500 tournament would have seen them sneak through to the Olympic Games. The BWF stated that there will be another statement issued on the qualification scenario of players who were dependent on the tournament, although it seems unlikely that there would be any chance for the two to make the cut.

BWF releases statement on cancelation of Singapore Open

Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth
Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth

BWF released a statement today confirming the cancelation as they wrote, “Tournament organisers Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) and Badminton World Federation (BWF) have jointly agreed to cancel the Singapore Open 2021 scheduled for 16 June 2021.”

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“All attempts were made by the organisers and BWF to provide a safe tournament environment for all participants. However, rising COVID-19 cases globally led to complex challenges in managing inbound travel. Thus, in the interests of all players, tournament personnel and the local community’s health and safety, the event has been cancelled,” BWF added.

It is noteworthy that all Indian shuttlers who had already qualified for the Olympics pulled out of the Singapore Open recently. PV Sindhu, B Sai Praneeth and the doubles pairing of Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy announced their decision to pull out, citing the quarantine rule mandating 21 days. Now, these decisions don’t matter as the entire tournament has been called off.

Also Read: Sai Praneeth pulls out of now-cancelled Singapore Open due to quarantine regulations