Thailand withdraw from Thomas and Uber Cups
Thailand will skip badminton’s Thomas and Uber Cups next month after former world champion Ratchanok Intanon and other star players withdrew from the team over Covid-19 concerns.
Badminton Association of Thailand president Patama Leeswadtrakul
World No 5 and 2013 world champion Ratchanok, and world No 3 mixed doubles duo Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai are among the high-profile names who decided to pull out.
Their withdrawals prompted the Thai badminton federation to abandon participation in the October 3-11 world team event in Denmark.
“As we don’t have enough players to participate in the Thomas and Uber Cups, we decided to withdraw from the tournament,” said Badminton Association of Thailand president Patama Leeswadtrakul, also an International Olympic Committee member.
“Players’ safety and health has always been our priority concern. We respect the players’ decision,” she added.
In 2018, the Thai women’s team grabbed their first ever place in the final on home soil in Nonthaburi, before losing to Japan 3-0.
