England today pulled out of the World Badminton Championship, citing a “specific Lashkar-e-Toiba threat” against the elite event, starting in Hyderabad tomorrow.
They were the only team to do so, and their action could leave a bad taste in India’s mouth for its demonstration of low confidence in New Delhi’s ability to provide security.
Home Minister P Chidambaram had said: “I am satisfied that the World Badminton Championship will take place in complete security. No one need to have any apprehensions on this score.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 championship.”
Badminton England said in a statement that the decision followed “concerns about the English team potentially being a target of attack in the event of a terrorist act”.
Badminton England Chief Executive Adrian Christy said the decision was taken after seeking advice from the British Foreign Office and High Commission in India.
“We have been in constant dialogue with them over the past couple of days,” said Christy.
Also Read
The team had already arrived for the championships.
“The decision follows media reports of a specific LeT threat against the championship,” the statement said. “Following those reports, Badminton England felt the risk to the safety of the team was one they could not take,” it added.
“This was an incredibly tough decision and one we didn’t take it lightly,” Adrian Christy, chief executive, said in the statement on Badminton England’s website.
“After the Olympic Games, this is the most prestigious championship 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,” he added.
“The conclusion is that safety is of paramount importance and therefore, with great regret, the team will be returning home immediately.”
However, an official of the Indian badminton federation blamed the media for causing panic.
Security for sports teams in the sub-continent has been in question following a terrorist attack on the bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore in March that killed seven Pakistanis and wounded six players.
That incident triggered concerns that sport could become a target for more attacks in the region.
India remains nervous after the Mumbai terror attacks in November last year killed 166 people.
The England cricket team had pulled out of their India tour following the Mumbai attacks before being persuaded to return and complete the series after an independent security assessment.