Hong Kong shuttlers have been put on high alert in Bangkok after several players in the Thailand Open tested positive for Covid-19 in the first international tournament of the year. Former women’s world number one, Saina Nehwal of India was among the three players cleared to play despite having initially tested positive, along with fellow Indian player HS Prannoy and Germany’s Jones Ralfy Jansen but Adham Hatem Elgamal, of Egypt, had to be withdrawn from the HK$7.8 million tournament because of a positive swab for the virus. “We are worried about the situation but believe the organisers have done their best to ensure the safety of all participants,” said badminton head coach at the Sports Institute, Tim He Yiming. “The Institute and the Badminton Association have long been monitoring the situation and we have advised players to keep good personal hygiene. “With cases being found, we also request our players to strictly follow the instruction of not making any contact with players outside the Hong Kong camp. This is a basic requirement that we must follow to protect ourselves.” Angus Ng to play first match in 10 months following pandemic outbreak that hobbled world tour To restart the world tour, which has been severely hit by the global pandemic outbreak, the Badminton World Federation has set up a safety “bubble” for three back-to-back tournaments in Bangkok, including the world tour finals. After the 2020 All England Open in March, only one tournament took place in Denmark in October before the Bangkok events. However, after two mandatory tests for each player since their arrival in Bangkok, four players tested positive on Monday on the eve of the tournament. The four players then underwent a second PCR test and an antibody blood test for further confirmation. The BWF says the three players were not infected and did not pose a danger to the tournament but advised Elgamal to be withdrawn. The Egyptian mixed doubles player was taken to hospital for further tests. “We accept the reasons given by the BWF as the tournament still has to proceed despite these cases,” said the coach. “All the players can do is to be extremely careful and take all the precautionary measures.” The coach, however, said his charges should be able to improve their game after getting back into competition for the first time since last year’s All England Open. Hong Kong did not take part in the Denmark tournament in October because the pandemic was still a major problem in Europe at the time. Badminton players return to action in Bangkok amid Covid-19 concerns Meanwhile, top player Angus Ng Ka-long scrapped through to a 21-15, 21-15 victory over Mark Caljouw, of the Netherlands, in his opening match on Wednesday while mixed doubles pair, Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet won a lacklustre 22-20, 21-17 match against Sumeeth Reddy B and Sikki Reddy N, of India. “It’s a bit difficult to ask them for more after playing only their first game in 10 months,” said the Hong Kong coach. “Angus apparently still needs time to get back to his top form and hopefully he could be better in his second game. “The mixed doubles pair also lacks the match sharpness as they showed before. They even went down 20-17 in the first set but fortunately they could hang in there and came back from behind to win after deuce. They should be able to improve after the first match.”