Despite the worsening situation in UK with COVID-19, ace India shuttler PV Sindhu is hopeful of returning to action from the forced break at the Thailand Open in January. Sindhu has been training in England for the past two months to help her preparations for the Tokyo Olympics for which she has already qualified.
Sindhu went to London in October to focus on her nutrition and fitness at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) and also has been training alongside British shuttlers Toby Penty and Rajiv Ouseph at the National Training Centre.
Quite a few countries, including India, have imposed bans on flights on the UK because of a new and seemingly more contagious strain of the coronavirus in England.
She will have to be in Bangkok by January 3 to compete in the two Super 1000 events (January 12 to 17 and January 19 to 24).
“I plan to travel in the first week of January There is no travel ban from UK in Thailand, so I can travel from Doha. The idea is to use the Gulf route to reach Thailand,” Sindhu was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Thankfully, my training is going on pretty well. The national center is not closed. It is run as a bubble center, so I have been able to practice ahead of the events in Thailand,” Sindhu said.
The Thailand leg will mark the return of international badminton but the country has been dealing with pro-democracy protest movements and has recently seen a spike in COVID-19 cases as well.
Last Saturday, health officials in Thailand reported 548 new cases, most victims being migrant workers of the seafood industry in Samut Sakhon province, 34 kilometers southwest of Bangkok.
“Cases in Thailand are also increasing, so there is uncertainty about Thailand event too, we really hope that things are under control and the event goes ahead. We need badminton to restart just like other sports,” said Yashwanth Biyyala, Director Athlete at Baseline Ventures.
The Sports Ministry had recently approved Sindhu’s request to have her personal physio and fitness trainer accompany her to three tournaments in January.
Sindhu last competed in March when she participated in the All England Championship, following which all tournaments were either cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October, Sindhu had pulled out of the Denmark Open, one of the only two events to be held since March. The other event was SaarLorlux Open Super 100 event in Germany.
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