Virus dims Olympic chances
Srikanth and Saina could be among Indian shuttlers to miss Tokyo cut with several events cancelled
NEW DELHI: The last few months of an Olympic qualification period generally means a nervous scramble for shuttlers trying to get inside the world rankings cut-off line to make it to the Games.
This time, there is no scramble, but plenty of nervousness as several Olympic qualifying badminton tournaments have been cancelled in the last few weeks, and, worse still, as the virus has spread from China to many different countries in the world, many more events may be cancelled.
This includes the India Open, scheduled from March 24-29 in New Delhi. The qualifying chances of several top players from around the world are in disarray, India’s Kidambi Srikantha and Saina Nehwal among them.
March was supposed to be the busiest month in the badminton calendar, with five top tournaments lined up—German Open (March 3-8), All England Open (March 11-15), Swiss Open (March 17-22), India Open (March 24-29) and Malaysia Open (March 31-15).
All it would take for a player like Srikanth or Nehwal is one or two top finishes at these tournaments to be inside the Olympic cut-off line.
However, as things stand, the German Open has been called off, the Swiss Open is unlikely (though an official word is awaited), and with new cases coming out of England, the prestigious All England is also under threat.
The All England is a Super 1000 event, the most prestigious tournament in that line-up, offering 12,000 ranking points for the winner. That leaves India Open (Super 500), Malaysia Open (Super 750), and Singapore Open (April 7-12, Super 500) as the last three big tournaments before the year-long qualification comes to end on April 28.
It may sound ironic now, but the last event of the qualification period, now cancelled was scheduled in the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak—the Badminton Asian Championships, from April 21-26, in Wuhan.
“The way the entire circuit is going, players who are on the borderline situation of qualification are tense and upset that tournaments are getting lesser,” said Parupalli Kashyap, who is lying 24 in Race to Tokyo list. Kashyap’s wife Nehwal is 22 on that list.
The top 16 singles players in Race to Tokyo rankings, with the exception of more than two players from the same nation, get a direct qualification berth for the Olympics. In doubles, it is the top eight pair that makes the cut.
Race to Tokyo is different from the world rankings in only one way—the world rankings are calculated on points earned in a 52-week cycle, Race to Tokyo looks at points earned from April 29, 2019 to April 28, 2020.
The World Badminton Federation clarified on Friday that it is not “at this time planning to make any adjustments to the regulations related to the Olympic qualification period.”
“Any change to the existing Olympic qualification rules will affect different players both positively or negatively, and with the present level of postponement and cancellation, BWF does not believe that making changes is appropriate,” BWF said in a statement.
It means that the qualification period will not be extended, and if there are no more tournaments from now on, the current rankings will be used to determine who will be at the Olympics.
If that happens, only PV Sindhu (7) and Sai Praneeth (11) qualify in singles. The doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (8) will just manage to scrape through.
“The cancelations won’t affect us even if there are no tournaments held from now on, we will qualify and get eighth seeding,” said Chirag.
“But a few good performances would have helped us consolidate that spot. But for Srikanth and Saina these tournaments are very important,” he added.
India’s chief coach Pullela Gopichand is wary too.
“It is kind of very tricky right now. All it take is five new cases to come up for the situation to change,” said Gopichand.
“I think we are just living day to day. We don’t know where and how things can change because this is not about badminton or any other sport, it’s an health emergency for countries.”
INDIA OPEN
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) had been able to get a clearance for Chinese players who have been camping in Europe from before the virus outbreak came to light in China, and who have been quarantined there. But with the virus spreading in Europe, there can be a fresh look at clearances. A BAI official said the government has asked for more updates about the Chinese contingent, including their addresses in China, how long they have been in Europe, and medical certificates.
The official said a lot will depend on whether the All England goes ahead or not.
“If All England takes place, India Open will also go on. We have lesser cases in India than UK and the Indian government has been supportive. They are just asking for documents.
“As of now there is no threat to the tournament because Chinese players are already out of China and they have been quarantined. Apart from China, visas of Hong Kong players are also on hold.” The official added.