Participation of Indian shuttlers in Malaysian Open in doubt due to travel ban

Participation of Indian shuttlers in Malaysian Open in doubt due to travel ban

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The Malaysian Open is scheduled to start from May 25 and run till May 30 and the Indian shuttlers would be eager to take part in the same. However, their participation is in doubt due to the fact that the Malaysian government has now imposed a travel ban on flights and travellers both to and from India starting from today. There has been no end date fixed for the ban to run to, meaning they plan to have it in place for a long period of time.

A total of 19 Indian shuttlers are scheduled to take part in the event. If the ban continues, the 32-member singles event will have only 25 as there are as many as 7 Indian men. The likes of Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth won’t be able to take part as won’t the likes of PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal in the women’s event. There are also 10 shuttlers in the doubles event of the Open.

Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal suffer massive blow

Kidambi Srikanth
Kidambi Srikanth

If the travel ban remains in place and the Indian shuttlers are not allowed to take part in the Malaysian Open, it would he a massive blow to the Tokyo Olympics qualification hopes of Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal. In fact, their hopes of qualification will be all but over. Their path to qualification was already made complex with the postponement of the India Open which was scheduled for May as well.

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Srikanth will have to make it to the top 16 of the rankings to make it to the Games. He is currently ranked 20th and hence, if he doesn’t take part in the Malaysian Open, he won’t be able to make it to the Olympics. Saina Nehwal is ranked 22nd and she would also not be able to make it.

Also Read: “We are helpless, it is upsetting” – Parupalli Kashyap talks of the postponement of India Open