Orleans Masters 2021: Indian woman shuttler withdraws after member of entourage tests positive for COVID-19

Paris: An unnamed Indian woman shuttler was on Tuesday forced to withdraw from the Orleans Masters after a team entourage member tested positive for COVID-19 and she was identified as a close contact. In a statement, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said that a total of three players have been withdrawn from the event which began with the qualifiers. “An Indonesian women’s doubles pair has been withdrawn after one player tested positive to the mandatory PCR test conducted on Monday,” the BWF stated. “An Indian women’s singles player has been withdrawn after a team entourage member tested positive to the mandatory PCR test. The singles player was identified as a close contact of the entourage member and as a result the player has been withdrawn from the tournament,” it added. The withdrawn players have been asked to self-isolate in their hotel rooms. The BWF, however, did not reveal the identities of the players. For India, the next player on the reserve list, Ira Sharma has been promoted into the women’s singles main draw. The USD 90,000 Super 100 tournament will offer valuable points for Olympic qualification.