China clears shuttlers’ visas to attend Sudirman Cup

Indian badminton players and coaching staff can heave a sigh of relief. Their trip to Suzhou in China for the Sudirman Cup was confirmed following the completion of their biometrics at the Chinese embassy in Delhi.
India’s leading players, including two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, World No. 9 HS Prannoy and Asian Championships doubles title winners Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, are part of the 23-member strong contingent. It’s been learnt that the issue was taken up at a diplomatic level by the Indian government with the Chinese foreign ministry delegation, which was in India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa.
After the government’s intervention, the Chinese embassy informed the BAI about the processing of visas and appointment time for biometrics on Monday. The matter had also been taken up with the Badminton World Federation – the sport’s global governing body. “It has certainly come as a relief to everyone. We were worried about missing the tournament this time. India are one of the favourites to lift the trophy banking on our players’ recent performances in team events,” a source said. India had qualified for the Sudirman Cup after winning bronze at the Badminton Asia mixed team championships in February.