Following The Indonesian Team, Turkish Representative Neslihan Yigit Was Also Forced To Resign: What All England Will Be Without Its Best Player?
JAKARTA - The Badminton World Federation (BWF) finally forced Neslihan Yigit to leave All England in 2021. Neslihan Yigit's resignation was confirmed when the controversy spread. More and more of the best players leave the arena first. What All England 2021 will be?
The question did not arise in our heads. But from Viktor Axelsen, the men's singles representative from Denmark. On Instagram Story, Axelsen wrote:
Feeling sorry for the Indonesian team and Neslihan Yigit. All England is not the same without all the best players.
It can't be denied. The All England 2021 suffered a major loss. Neslihan Yigit is a player ranked 30 in the world. Quoted from the BWF site, the 27-year-old player has won 461 games throughout her career.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian team? The Indonesian badminton team is projected as a strong candidate to win a number of All England titles this year. This was conveyed by the General Chairperson of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), Agung Firman.
There is a big target and confidence that the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) has set for All England this year. According to Agung, the Indonesian players who participated in the All England 2021 were a dangerous team. The team, said Agung, is the strongest candidate to win the title.
Ahsan/Hendra defeated the British representatives
In the first round of the All England 2021 at the Birmingham Arena, Birmingham, England, Thursday, March 18 morning Western Indonesia Time, Indonesian representatives Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan managed to beat the men's doubles of the host, Ben Lane/Sean Vendy.
The game runs fiercely for 56 minutes. Ahsan/Hendra were forced to participate in the rubber game, with the final scores recorded as 21-18, 19-21, 21-19. With that victory, Ahsan/Hendra should advance to the second round of All England 2021.
Ahsan/Hendra were part of the six Indonesian representatives who were scheduled to play at that time. Apart from Ahsan/Hendra, Kevin Sanjaya/Marcus Gideon, and Jonathan Christie also played. All of them won and qualified for the next phase.
However, after Ahsan/Hendra's victory over the British representatives, three other Indonesian representatives who had yet to compete were asked to resign. They were even declared defeated by WO: Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Praveen Jordan/Melati Daeva Oktavianti, and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.
According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) clarification, this happened because of British government regulations. The British health authority, the National Health Service (NHS), asked the Indonesian team to carry out self-isolation for ten days because one plane was with a COVID-19 patient en route from Istanbul, Turkey to Birmingham.
With this provision, it means that the Indonesian team - be it athletes, officials, coaches - cannot leave the Crowne Plaza Birmingham City Center until March 23. Indonesia, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has contacted the British government authorities.
Indonesia asked for a number of options, including a mass retest, delaying the implementation of the All England until the tournament was stopped altogether.
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