Hyderabad, August 09:Team England Sunday withdrew from the World Badminton Championships beginning here Monday following reports of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist threat even as police clarified there was no such specific intelligence.
Badminton England said they were not prepared to risk the safety of their players.
“This was an incredibly tough decision and one we didn’t take lightly. 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,” Adrian Christy, chief executive, said on the Badminton England website.
“We are extremely grateful for the speed in which the BWF (Badminton World Federation) and the Organising Committee reacted to the concerns following the threat. We have carefully considered the comments made by the local police authorities and we know that they have the best interest of all competitors in mind,” he added.
Christy said the organisation reached the decision after advice from the Foreign Office and British high commission.
“The conclusion is that safety is of paramount importance and therefore, with great regret, the team will be returning home immediately,” he said.
This is the second time that English team pulled out a shuttle event in the city. It pulled out of Indian Open Grand Prix held in March following the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan and the decision of the organisers of Indian Premier League (IPL) to move the tournament out of India.
After the team returned home, Cyberabad police commissioner S. Prabhakar Reddy told reporters: “There is no real threat. It is only a perception. Whether there is threat or no threat, our preparedness is very much there to meet any eventuality. We are fully geared up.”
He was confident the seven-day event would go on safely. “Our past performance indicates that not a single incident has taken place during any international event held here,” he said.
The Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, the venue of the championship, falls in the limits of the Cyberabad police commissionerate.
The officer said all security measures were taken and there was no need for any extra measures for any individual team. “In case any team makes request for more security, we will evaluate the same and we are prepared to take a call on that,” he said in reply to a query.
Prabhakar Reddy clarified that security assessment is done by experts and what is required is done.
He said entire security plan was in place. About 1,000 policemen, including 45 commandos trained in anti-terror operations, have been deployed at the stadium, at the Gopichand Academy where the teams have been practicing, and the four hotels where the players and officials are staying.
The police commissioner had Saturday dismissed a newspaper report that there was a threat to the championship from the LeT. He said the message from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) was routine in nature and there were no specific inputs about any threat to the event.
The central intelligence agency has already warned of possible terror attacks in Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata Aug 15, the Independence Day.
Police have sounded a general alert and are checking vehicles at various points and frisking people.
India’s No.1 woman player Saina Nehwal called England’s pullout “unfortunate”.
“The tournament will not be affected by any terror perception. It is unfortunate that England team has decided to go back. They have not been seen practicing,” she said.
Ian Moss, England performance director, said: “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,” he said.
“This was a unanimous squad decision and is not reflective on the efforts made by the Organising Committee to create the safest environment possible for all athletes.”
England’s decision to pull out comes despite Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s assurance that the tournament would take place “in complete security”.
“I am satisfied that the World Badminton Championship will take place in complete security. No one need to have any apprehensions on this score,” Chidambaram said Saturday.
“The alert in Hyderabad was based on information shared with the state police in a routine manner. There is no specific information that points to any imminent threat to the badminton championship.”
Officials of the Intelligence Bureau had visited the stadium as well as the badminton academy being run by player-turned-coach Pullela Gopichand to take stock of the situation and alert the organisers over the possible threat from the Pakistan-based terror group LeT.
The England squad included Andrew Smith, Rajiv Ouseph (singles) and Anthony Clark, Nathan Robertson, Chris Adcock, Donna Kellogg, Gabby White and Jenny Wallwork (doubles).
—–IANS