India cleared to compete at All England Open 2021 after three shuttlers test negative in retests

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Wednesday cleared the Indian players to compete at the All England Open 2021 after three positive Covid-19 tests returned negative on retests.

Three players and one support staff were impacted by the testing error, which prompted fears of India missing out on the prestigious All England Open tournament, which starts on Wednesday. All four were negative in follow-up testing conducted by the governing body.

"No positive tests in the team anyone. We are ready for All England," India's doubles foreign coach Mathias Boe wrote in a story on his Instagram account.

Mathias Boe's post on his Instagram story (Image courtesy: Mathias Boe Instagram)

Indian contingent left without practice ahead of All England Open 2021

The development had forced the Indian contingent to be confined to their rooms, making it impossible for the players to practise ahead of the event.

On Tuesday, former All England runner-up Saina Nehwal had complained of the hassles the Indian contingent has been facing at Birmingham.

Ok I have to do this now ! Matches are starting tomorrow at the @YonexAllEngland and still no reports of the Covid test done 30hrs before . No practice , no gym .. for 2 days now . 🤷‍♀️ @bwfmedia

— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) March 16, 2021

A high number of positive tests were required to be investigated into and re-tests were thus conducted. Badminton England delayed the start of the event by a few hours to resolve the matter.

The All England Open 2021 matches were earlier scheduled to begin from 9am GMT on Wednesday, which has now been pushed back to 2pm.

"Following further investigations and testing, all team members have been returned to the draw, having successfully retested negative. Following a higher-than-expected number of inconclusive and positive tests, a full investigation into the testing and laboratory process was conducted in consultation with representatives from Public Health England and the testing companies involved," the BWF and Badminton England informed the team mangers in an e-mail on Wednesday.

The five-day tournament will not offer any valuable points in the Road to Tokyo rankings, which has led to China, South Korea, and the Chinese Taipei shuttlers giving it a miss. It still has a highly competitive field and Indian shuttlers will look to make the most of this opportunity.