NEW DELHI: India’s former world number one Saina Nehwal said officials had put profits ahead of player welfare by allowing the All England badminton championship to go ahead last weekend despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The competition was one of the few international sporting events to conclude on Sunday amid the deadly outbreak, which has claimed thousands of lives across the globe.

“Only thing I can think of is that rather than the players welfare n feelings, financial reasons were given more importance,” Nehwal, who won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, wrote on Twitter. “Otherwise there was no other reason for the #AllEnglandOpen2020 to go on last week.”

Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen clinched his first All England title, while Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan regained the women’s singles crown.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2020