Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth's Olympics Hopes Hit As Indian Team's Malaysian Open Participation In Doubt

The Indian government is trying to negotiate for the participation of Indian badminton stars in the Malaysian Open amid a flight ban from the country.

London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal and men's star Kidambi Srikanth's last hopes of Olympic qualification hang in balance as the Indian government negotiates for their participation in the Malaysian Open amid a ban on flights from India in that country. Following the postponement of the India Open (May 11-16), Saina and Srikanth's hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo Games hinge on the (May 25-30) Kuala Lumpur event followed by the Singapore Open (June 1-6). In the wake of an unprecedented COVID-19 surge in India, Malaysia and Singapore have banned flights from the country effective April 28. "The Sports Ministry, through the Ministry of External Affairs, has approached the Malaysian Government requesting to grant permission to the Indian Badminton Team to travel to Malaysia to participate in the Malaysian Open scheduled from May 25 to May 30," the Sports Authority of India said in a statement. "This is in light of a temporary travel ban that has been imposed by Malaysia on travellers from India, owing to the rising COVID-19 cases in India," it added.