SHAH ALAM – Japan’s women’s team were forced to pull out from the Badminton Asia Team Championships due to several of their players feeling “unfit” to compete in the semi-finals here at Setia City Convention Centre.
The squad was set to face Indonesia in the semi-finals of the tournament today at 10am. However, according to Badminton Asia’s Facebook account, some players were feeling unwell to hit the court.
“The Japanese Women’s Team withdrew from the semi-final of the Selangor Badminton Asia Team Championships 2022 due to several players feeling unfit to play.
“Therefore, the Indonesian Women’s Team is going straight to the finals,” they said on their Facebook page.
Japan, who are the defending champions, reportedly arrived in Malaysia with only six players, and forced them to rotate several players – Riko Gunji, Natsuki Nidaira and Hina Akechi for the group stage doubles matches.
However, sources in the badminton fraternity say that the withdrawal of the team from the competition could be due to Covid-19 infection.
Despite that, officials have been keeping mum on the exact reason for the team’s early departure from the tournament.
Indonesia will now face South Korea in the finals tomorrow for the women’s title after the latter defeated Malaysia earlier today in straight matches. – The Vibes, February 19, 2022.
