Ajay, Shubhankar Dey in isolation amid Covid scare

The 19-year-old Lakshya withdrew on Wednesday after his father D K Sen returned a positive test for the dreaded virus. D K Sen is asymptomatic at this point.

Saarbrucken: Indian shuttlers Ajay Jayaram and Shubhankar Dey were on Thursday forced out of the SaarLorLux Open after being put in isolation owing to contact with Covid positive father-cum-coach of defending champion Lakshya Sen, who has already withdrawn.

The 19-year-old Lakshya withdrew on Wednesday after his father D K Sen returned a positive test for the dreaded virus. D K Sen is asymptomatic at this point. “BWF can confirm three players have been withdrawn from the SaarLorLux Open 2020 as a precautionary measure for all participants after they were in contact with a member of their team entourage who tested positive for Covid-19,” the Badminton World Federation said in a statement.

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“The three players: Lakshya Sen, Ajay Jayaram and Subhankar Dey will not compete further in the tournament, which began on Tuesday,” it added. Later, Jayaram, in a Twitter post tagging sports minister Kiren Rijiju, the national badminton federation and BWF, said that he and Dey would like to return to India as the organisers have not given them any information or assistance apart from asking them to isolate.