2021 Tokyo Olympics | Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal's qualification hopes officially over
Saina Nehwal is a 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist
|Indian badminton stars Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal’s hopes for securing a quota at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics are officially over, with the BWF declaring that there would be no qualifying tournaments ahead of the event. Only four shuttlers from India have qualified for the mega-event.
India’s ace shuttler PV Sindhu and Sai Praneeth were already secured of participation in the upcoming 2021 Tokyo Olympics, owing to their higher rankings. But, Kidambi Srikanth and 2012 London Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal were aiming to make the cut in the upcoming qualifying events.
As per the latest reports, the BWF (Badminton World Federation) has declared that the qualification window closes on June 15 and there won’t be any qualifying tournaments ahead of the deadline. The top 16 ranked players are eligible for qualification to the mega-event.
As things stand, Saina is ranked 22, while Srikanth is placed at the 20th spot in their respective singles categories. So, officially, none of the above players can qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
"The Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm that no further tournaments will be played inside the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifying window. As such, while the qualification period officially closes on 15 June 2021 as per the Revised Tokyo 2020 Qualification System, the current Race. To Tokyo, the rankings list will not change. Invitations will be sent shortly with final participation lists and seedings to be published at the conclusion of this process,” read a BWF statement.
Apart from PV Sindhu and Sai Praneeth, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, currently ranked 11 in the world, have also secured a berth for the quadrennial event.
