Scare grips world Badminton Championships

After the reported terror threat by extremist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba that forced the eight-member England squad to pull out of the World Badminton Championships, which kicked off in Hyderabad on August 9, the sporting event has now been hit by the H1N1 virus (swine flu) scare.

“The Malaysian doubles coach complained of throat pain last evening and we didn’t want to take any risk. We have sent his samples for testing for swine flu virus to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in New Delhi. The reports are expected by August 12,” an official said on Tuesday.

The organisers of the championships have already installed a swine flu screening system at the event’s venue to check the participating teams.

Earlier, the England contingent had withdrawn from the World Badminton Championships on Sunday, citing reports of terror threats targeting the top international badminton players participating in the event. The seven-day championship, wherein 500 players from over 45 countries are participating, will culminate at the Gachibowli stadium here on August 16.

Meanwhile, Swiss watchmaker, Longines, today said it had partnered the Indian Badminton Federation and would be the official partner and official watch for the World Badminton Championships.