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What's the story?
A late withdrawal from the Uganda International Badminton Open Championship led to fines being meted out to two Indian shuttlers, Chaliha Orijit and Harshit Aggarwal. The two shuttlers have announced their withdrawal from the tournament just a few days before it will be taking off, therefore, flouting the rules and facing a fine.
In case you didn't know...
The Uganda International Badminton Open Championship is an International Series that was sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). This event will attract veteran players from Algeria, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Jordan, India, the Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, France, Syria, Zambia, Turkey and the Republic of Maldives, amongst many others.
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The heart of the matter
Going against the rules of the BWF, the two shuttlers will have to pay a hefty fine of $150 each. The Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Badminton Association, Simon Mugabi told Xinhua, "The two players will be fined $150 for late withdraw as per the rules set by the Badminton World Federation."
He also stated that the two were spared the heavier fine of $650 each which would have been imposed had they informed their withdrawal later than they already did.
Speaking about the upcoming tournament, Mugabi said that he expects to witness a very "explosive" tournament owing to the presence of 15 foreign nationals gracing the event. He also added that the icing on the cake was Jonathan Perrson from Germany, who is yet to arrive.
Juliean Paul, who has arrived in Uganda, is the most noteworthy name of the series, having freshly been entitled with the All Africa Senior Championship.
What's next?
The Uganda Badminton Tournament will be held between 22nd to 25th February, 2018 at the Lugogo Arena in Kampala.
Author's take
Two of India's shuttlers withdrawing from the tournament, and moreover, being fined for unprofessionalism is a definite dampener for the country as it would have been interesting to see the Indians showcase their game in this event.
