England pulled out of the badminton world championships in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad yesterday amid concerns about the team’s security.
Badminton England said in a statement that the decision followed “concerns about the English team potentially being a target of attack in the event of a terrorist act.”
The team had already arrived in India for the championships, due to start today, but would be returning home immediately.
“The decision follows media reports of a specific Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist threat against the championships,” the statement said. “Following those reports, Badminton England felt the risk to the safety of the team was one they could not take.”
Security for sports teams in the sub-continent has been in question following the ambush of the Sri Lanka cricket team bus in Lahore, Pakistan, in March that killed seven Pakistanis and wounded six players.
That incident triggered concerns athletes could become a target for more attacks in the region and India remains nervous after militants killed 166 people in an attack on Mumbai last November.
‘TOUGH DECISION’
“This was an incredibly tough decision and one we didn’t take lightly,” Adrian Christy, chief executive, said in the statement on Badminton England’s Web site. “After the Olympic Games, this is the most prestigious championships in the world but we were not prepared to risk the safety of our players, coaches and staff in what we felt could have been a very volatile environment.”
Christy said the federation had also taken advice from the British Foreign Office and High Commission in India.
“We have been in constant dialogue with them over the past couple of days,” he said. “The conclusion is that safety is of paramount importance and therefore, with great regret, the team will be returning home immediately.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS