In a dramatic chain of events on Tuesday, ace Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, and HS Prannoy were cleared to compete in the Thailand Open Super 1000 badminton tournament, just hours after they were forced to withdraw having tested positive for Coronavirus.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced later on Tuesday that Saina and Prannoy could compete, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) said that “Kashyap’s participation will depend on result of his test”, conducted on Tuesday afternoon.
Apart from the Indian trio, Germany’s Jones Ralfy Jansen and Egypt’s Adham Hatem Elgamal had also tested positive after the Monday tests. While Jansen’s decision too has been reversed and he can now compete, Elgamal has been forced to withdraw as his antibody test was negative, said BWF.
All three players will play their rescheduled first-round match on Wednesday.
“Nehwal, Prannoy and Jansen tested positive on the PCR test but their antibody IgG was positive. A positive antibody test means a person has been infected with the Covid-19 virus at some point in the past. It does not mean they are currently infected. The trio all contracted Covid-19 in late 2020. The committee was satisfied that they are not infected and do not pose a danger to the tournament,” said the BWF statement.
IANS
