Terrorist threat forces England out of badminton championships

09/08/2009 - 10:36:32
England have withdrawn from the World Badminton Championships in the Indian city of Hyderabad because of “a specific terrorist threat” against the championships.

The eight-strong squad, including Olympic silver medallist Nathan Robertson, have pulled out of the tournament, which starts tomorrow, following reports of a threat by the Muslim extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said: “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.”