Saina Nehwal to Miss Asian Games Trials

Two-time Commonwealth Games champion and former World No.1, Saina Nehwal, will not be participating in the national selection trials for the upcoming Asian Games due to fitness issues. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) will be conducting the trials from May 4 to 7 in Telangana to pick the team for the prestigious tournament to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8. BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra confirmed that Saina Nehwal will not be participating in the trials due to her fitness concerns. This is not the first time that Nehwal has skipped the trials as she also missed the trials for the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in January.

The absence of Nehwal, who has been a prominent figure in Indian badminton for more than a decade, will be felt during the trials as she is one of the most successful Indian women’s badminton players of all time. Nehwal has won numerous international titles, including two Commonwealth Games gold medals and a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

Re-reported from the story originally published in Mid-Day English