Coronavirus: Taiwan badminton team’s training partner infected after Europe trip
- Head coach Tim He says Hong Kong players on full alert amid fears they may have come into contact
- Coach will appeal for Lee Cheuk-yiu to gain back ranking points after being forced to miss Asia Team Championships because of pandemic
The Hong Kong badminton team are on full alert after a training partner in the Taiwan team was infected with coronavirus on returning from a European trip, including the All England Open Championships in Birmingham.
Head coach Tim He Yiming said the case sounded a warning to Hong Kong players as they had also been playing regularly on the world tour.
“It can happen to anyone, from ordinary people to a top-class athlete who has supreme physical ability,” He said. “I am sure the Taiwan camp will be greatly affected – what will their players be thinking now? For sure, they have had contact with the training partner during the tournaments. It has put everybody under tension.”
Taiwan boast two of the world’s best singles players – Tai Tzu-ying just won the All England Open title and regained her world number one spot, while Chou Tien-chen reached the men’s final in Birmingham, losing to Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. Both are strong medal contenders for the Tokyo Olympics, if the Games go ahead in July as scheduled.
Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka-long would have played Taiwan number two Wang Tzu-wei in Birmingham but was surprisingly beaten by unheralded Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the opening round. Nishimoto then lost to Wang, who was believed to have had contact with the training partner, in the next round.
Ng and his teammates returned to Hong Kong before the tournament was completed on March 15, trying to avoid a 14-day home quarantine order by the government for those who came back from Great Britain. They went for the coronavirus test after returning to Hong Kong but the results were negative, according to He.