Apologize To Indonesia, BWF: Our Relationship Will Remain Harmonious And Stronger In The Future

BWF logo (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Badminton World Federation (BWF) officially apologized to Indonesia for the incident of forced withdrawal of the Red and White team from the All England 2021 tournament.

Through an official letter dated March 21, 2021, addressed to the Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali, BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer specifically apologized as well as conveyed his regret and disappointment over the incident that happened to Indonesian athletes in All England 2021.

"I sincerely apologize for the sadness and frustration experienced by all Indonesian players and teams," said Poul-Erik Hoyer in his letter received in Jakarta, Monday.

"On behalf of the entire BWF ranks, I convey this apology to President Joko Widodo, the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesian Ambassador to the UK, officials, the General Chair of PBSI and ranks, the Indonesian people and especially the entire community and for badminton enthusiasts in Indonesia," he added.

BWF is also fully aware that Indonesia is one of the world badminton giants who often dominate various championships as well as become the foundation and hope of the nation in the international arena.

The incident, according to him, is a valuable lesson for BWF to be able to carry out a better badminton tournament in the future amidst the difficult and challenging conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his letter, the President of BWF also recalled the moment and his closeness to the Indonesian players and coaches when he was playing for the Danish national team.

He hopes that the events in All England 2021 will not affect the good relations that have existed for a long time between Indonesia and BWF.

"We believe that the extraordinary longstanding relationship between Indonesia and BWF will remain harmonious and even stronger in the future," he said.

The Indonesian badminton team that was competing in All England 2021 was previously required to undergo self-quarantine for 10 days after it was discovered that one of the passengers in the same plane exposed to COVID-19 on their way from Istanbul to Birmingham.

Even though the Red and White Squad had already undergone a COVID-19 test upon arrival in Birmingham, Saturday, March 13, and all of them found negative results. However, in accordance with UK Government regulations regarding positive close contact tracing for COVID-19, the struggle of the Indonesian national team must stop halfway.

BWF is also deemed incompetent in holding competitions in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is detrimental to the Indonesian team.

However, the Indonesian team has now arrived in the country thanks to the coordination of PP PBSI, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Youth and Sport, and the Indonesian Embassy in London, so they do not have to undergo isolation as instructed by the British Health Service Agency (NHS) until March 23.