New Delhi: England have pulled out of Yonex-Sunrise BWF World Badminton Championships, starting on Monday in Hyderabad, citing terror threat over the event.
The English team felt that that they could become potential targets in case of a terror attack.
The Badminton England on Sunday released a statement saying the eight-member strong team would be returning to England from Hyderabad immediately.
"It is a disappointing outcome, especially after we had enjoyed a very good preparation at our holding camp in Doha, Qatar, last week. Our athletes were extremely well prepared for these championships but, at the end of the day, personal safety must take priority over performance," England Performance Director Ian Moss said.
However, Badminton Association of India said England pulling out would not have much impact on the championship.
"It's not a major setback. They have reacted on the basis of a wrong media report. We asked them to reconsider but they had made up their mind. This won’t effect the tournament as all other teams have confirmed their participation," said Badminton Association of India President VK Verma.
On the other hand Badminton England maintained that the terror threats were genuine and claimed that security arrangements were not foolproof.
"We saw media reports suggesting that there was a terror threat on the tournament. Our officials were not satisfied with the security setup. Our players were also not satisfied with the security. They felt that they were under threat and wanted to come home. Our focus has shifted from the competition to the personal security of our players. The Indian authorities did meet us in Hyderabad and tried to convince us and assure full safety but the players felt that it was not enough. We are looking forward to coming to New Delhi next year to compete in the Commonwealth Games," said Badminton England Chief Executive Adrian Christy from Milton Keynes.
About 450 players from 43 countries are participating in the event at Hyderabad's Gachibowli Stadium.
Over 1,000 security personnel have been deployed for the world championship.
Intelligence agencies claim that there are reports of a specific threat to the badminton tournament from terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
The Hyderabad Police and the tournament organisers have, however, denied any such report.
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