Badminton Nationals | Poor court conditions force organisers to reschedule matches
Uneven court surface has forced the organisers of the of the Senior National Badminton Championship to reschedule the pre-quarterfinals of this year’s tournament being held in Guwahati. The likes of Saina Nehwal, P Kashyap and B Sai Praneeth will play their respective matches later this evening.
The ongoing Senior National Badminton Championship will face a delay in proceedings after some poor court conditions have caused an issue in the commencement of the pre-quarterfinal games. Premier Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal had indicated that there were two spots where the court was slightly uneven after which the organisers decided to shift the matches to later this evening in accordance with the other players.
Tournament organising secretary Omar Rashid admitted that one plank had come loose and hence they decided to postpone the match to ensure the safety of the players.
“PV Sindhu played her match on the same court and she did not complain about anything. We don’t want to risk injury to any player and hence we decided to first repair the court before restarting their matches,” Rashid told PTI reporters.
Previously, the organisers had shifted the singles matches to the Assam Badminton Academy courts on Thursday as the main stadium has cement flooring and the top players were concerned about the load it could put on their shin and knees as they prepare for the upcoming All England Championship. Ace Indian shuttler Sameer Verma retired from his pre-quarterfinal against Aryaman Tandon as he complained of an ankle
“The strain first happened during the BWF Tour finals in China and I again felt the pinch while playing today. I didn’t want to take a risk,” Verma said.
