Expelled From All England 2021, Greysia Polii: BWF Forces And Decides Unilaterally

JAKARTA - Senior athlete specialist in women's doubles Greysia Polii expressed her views regarding the incident of forced withdrawal of Indonesia from All England in 2021 while competing in the first round of the Super 1000 tournament on March 17.

Greysia, who is paired with Apriyani Rahayu, assesses that BWF does not understand its position other than being the parent organization and committee. During a pandemic, BWF also acts as an intermediary between the health authorities of the host country and the athletes.

In the case of the withdrawal of the national team from All England, BWF should have been able to protect athletes from policies to the British Health Service Agency (NHS) which seemed forced to bring the national team to isolation hotels.

"The BWF is a protector, and we (athletes) are their assets that must be protected. They must be more responsible with their response when directed by the NHS. For example, when they were removed from the hall, there should have been a two-way discussion with the team manager. But in the incident. yesterday they played by force and decided unilaterally," said Greysia in a virtual press conference, Monday evening, as quoted by Antara.

The Red and White Squad actually understands the role of the NHS as a health authority that must be obeyed by BWF, but as a BWF it is also obliged to understand the needs of the participants so that they feel safe with their shelter.

On this occasion the national team also did not forget to thank the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Embassy in London, the national media, and the Indonesian people who poured out their assistance and support.

"We are very grateful to Indonesia that has fought for and protected us. Their efforts to protect their athletes are extraordinary and we really appreciate it," added Greysia.