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PETALING JAYA: The long-awaited Asian leg of the World Tour in Bangkok from January 12-31 took a severe blow after Japan’s world number one Kento Momota was forced to withdraw.
This comes after Japan’s ace tested positive for Covid-19, prompting the Nippon Badminton Association (NBA) to cancel his trip to the Thai capital.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, Momota was found to have contracted the virus during polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests prior to the team’s departure at Narita Airport in Tokyo on Sunday (January 3).
The NBA is taking no chances as Momota has been in close contact with the rest of the team during centralized training in Kitaku, Tokyo.
The absence of Momota and other top Japanese players will further affect the quality of the three-tournament series in Bangkok, which includes two Thailand Opens and the World Tour Finals.
World Tour competitions were already without top Chinese stars such as Shi Yuqi and Chen Yufei after the contingent was banned from leaving the country.
Meanwhile, Badminton Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) training director Wong Choong Hann also tested positive on Sunday, the day before he left with the national team for Bangkok.
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