Thailand Open 2021: Saina Nehwal, HS Prannoy Test Negative For COVID-19 Hours After Positive Results

Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed the two Indian players Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier, have been cleared to take their place in the YONEX Thailand Open.

Saina Nehwal

Hours after resulting positive, India's top shuttlers Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy tested negative for COVID-19, making their way for the YONEX Thailand Open.  . Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT) confirmed the two Indian players Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy and the German player Jones Ralfy Jansen (Germany), who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier today at the Asian Leg of the HSBC BWF World Tour have been cleared to take their place in the YONEX Thailand Open. Nehwal and Prannoy were earlier taken to hospital while Jansen and Elgamal self-quarantined in the hotel. Nehwal’s husband Kashyap Parupalli was also asked to self-quarantine due to the married couple sharing a room. Upon retesting the four players’ samples earlier today, Prannoy, Jansen and Elgamal returned negative, while Nehwal was found to be positive again. However, BWF in a statement this evening sated that the organisation received the results and reasoned decisions from the Diagnosis and Investigation Committee of the Thailand Ministry of Public Health. Nehwal, Prannoy and Jansen tested positive on the PCR test but their antibody IgG was positive. Badminton players from India have reached Bangkok to play ahead of the Olympics as the game has resumed once again after gap of almost 300 days. Ace Indian shuttler was to play against Malaysia’s Kisona Selvaduray on Tuesday in first round of the tournament. However, being detected positive of coronavirus, Sania led to a walkover to Malaysia’s Kisona Selvaduray, who has now moved to the second round of women’s singles.