Saina Nehwal tests positive for Covid-19 ahead of her 1st round match at Thailand Open India Today Web Desk
Olympic bronze medallist and former world number 1 Saina Nehwal has tested positive for Covid-19 at the Thailand Open. In a 3rd and last mandatory round of Covid-19 tests ahead of the tournament, Saina Nehwal tested positive and was asked to isolate in a hospital for a minimum of 10 days by the organisers. The 30-year-old has been withdrawn from the tournament.
Earlier, BWF had said that Indian men s world number 28 HS Prannoy also tested positive for Covid-19. However, the association later clarified that he has tested negative. Further, Saina Nehwal s husband and men s world number 24 Parupalli Kashyap has also been asked to self-quarantine as he shares the room with his wife.
Saina Nehwal (TOI photo)
HYDERABAD: Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy tested positive in the thirdCovid-19 test after they arrived in Bangkok.Saina had already withdrawn from the tournament, while her husbandParupalli Kashyap has been forced to withdraw. Kashyap was scheduled to playJason Anthony Ho-Shue of Canada later on Tuesday.
Though he tested negative he was also taken to the hospital. As per the rules in Thailand, Saina and Prannoy will be put up in ahospital for 10 days. However, the rest of the Indian squad apart from these players has been allowed to compete in the tournament.
This is the second time that Saina and Prannoy had tested positive. Last month along with Kashyap these players tested positive during Gurusaidutt s wedding.
Saina Nehwal, HS Prannoy, Parupalli Kashyap cleared to play Thailand Open
File photo: Parupalli Kashyap (L) with Saina Nehwal
NOAH SEELAM/AFP via Getty Images
Indian badminton players Saina Nehwal, HS Prannoy and Parupalli Kashyap have all been cleared to play the Yonex Thailand Open Super 1000 tournament after the Badminton World Federation concluded that they pose no danger to the tournament following reassessment of their samples in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Saina had earlier tested positive and was placed in isolation in a hospital there. Her teammate HS Prannoy also tested positive but his sample later returned a negative result. Kashyap, Nehwal s husband, who was sharing a room with her, had gone into self-quarantine and was also retested.