Saina Nehwal has accused badminton's administrators of placing money above players' safety by continuing last week's All England Championships amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Only thing I can think of is that rather than the players welfare n feelings, financial reasons were given more importance. Otherwise there was no other reason for the #AllEnglandOpen2020 to go on last week," she tweeted in response to a tweet by Danish badminton player Mads Conrad-Petersen expressing concern about the health implications of the tournament being held as per schedule.
Only thing I can think of is that rather than the players welfare n feelings , financial reasons were given more importance. Otherwise there was no other reason for the #AllEnglandOpen2020 to go on last week .. #QuarantineLife https://t.co/yajkj7M7VX
- Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) March 18, 2020
The 30-year-old lost in the opening round in Birmingham, which was among a handful which continued even as the bulk of the global sporting calendar was either postponed or cancelled.
The tournament had several players competing despite the risk as it was crucial to achieving ranking points for Olympic qualification. Saina's Olympic qualification has also been severely jeopardised by the early loss in Birmingham.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) put a halt to all its events on the day the event got over.