PV Sindhu is still hopeful for travelling Thailand amid worsening Covid-19 situation in England

Unfazed by the worsening COVID-19 situation in England where she is training immediately , world champion shuttler P V Sindhu on Tuesday told PTI that she remains hopeful of travelling to Thailand for tournaments in January despite countries increasingly banning flights from the united kingdom .

Sindhu, who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, has been training in London for the last two months and is scheduled to play her first tournament since the break in Thailand. she is going to need to be in Bangkok by January 3 to compete within the two Super 1000 events (January 12 to 17 and Robert E Lee’s Birthday to 24).

“I decide to travel within the first week of January there’s no travel ban from UK in Thailand, so I can travel from Doha. the thought is to use the Gulf route to succeed in Thailand,” said Sindhu, who is managed by sports management firm Baseline Ventures.

Several countries round the world, including India, have imposed bans on flights on the united kingdom due to a replacement and seemingly more contagious strain of the coronavirus in England.
The 25-year-old had left for London in October to specialise in her nutrition and fitness at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) and also has been training alongside British shuttlers Toby Penty and Rajiv Ouseph at the National Training Centre.

“Thankfully, my training goes on pretty much . The national center isn’t closed. it’s run as a bubble center, so I even have been ready to practice before the events in Thailand,” Sindhu said.

The Thailand leg will mark the return of international badminton but the country has been handling pro-democracy protest movements and has recently seen a spike in COVID-19 cases also .

Last Saturday, health officials in Thailand reported 548 new cases, most victims being migrant workers of the seafood industry in Samut Sakhon province, 34 kilometers southwest of Bangkok.

“Cases in Thailand also are increasing, so there’s uncertainty about Thailand event too, we actually hope that things are in check and therefore the event goes ahead. we’d like badminton to restart a bit like other sports,” said Yashwanth Biyyala, Director Athlete at Baseline Ventures.

The Sports Ministry had recently approved Sindhu’s request to possess her personal physio and fitness trainer accompany her to 3 tournaments in January.