Amid international travel restrictions, PV Sindhu eager to fly to Thailand from UK for Super 1000

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PV Sindhu

Indian shuttler PV Sindhu, who is currently training in the UK, is keen to travel to Thailand for the upcoming two Super 1000 events despite the flight bans by several countries.

PV Sindhu set to travel to Thailand for two major events

Sindhu has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and has been training in London for the last couple of months. She is set to compete in tournaments in Thailand. The COVID-19 situation in England is getting worse day by day and it has raised concerns over travelling.

PV Sindhu

Many countries including India have banned the flights from the UK amid the discovery of a new variant of Novel Coronavirus in England.

However, the World Champion shuttler is aiming to reach Thailand by January 3. Sindhu, who is managed by sports management firm Baseline Ventures said:

“I plan to travel in the first week of January. There is no travel ban from UK in Thailand, so I can travel from Doha. The idea is to use the Gulf route to reach Thailand.”

She last participated in the All England Championship in March after which the tournaments were either cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sindhu was set to take part in the Denmark Open but decided to opt-out due to COVID concerns, also pulled out herself from SaarLorlux Open Super 100 event in Germany.

She is set to make her return to the court following the hiatus due to the pandemic and will compete in the two Super 1000 events (January 12 to 17 and January 19 to 24).

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My training is going on pretty well: PV Sindhu

Sindhu flew to London back in October keeping a tab on her nutrition and fitness at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). She trained with British shuttlers Toby Penty and Rajiv Ouseph at the National Training Centre.

On her training she said:

“Thankfully, my training is going on pretty well. The national center is not closed. It is run as a bubble center, so I have been able to practice ahead of the events in Thailand.”

With the tournament in Thailand, the international badminton is resuming.

However, the country is dealing with pro-democracy protest movements and COVID-19 cases. Yashwanth Biyyala, Director – Athlete at Baseline Ventures reflected on the situation stating:

“Cases in Thailand are also increasing, so there is uncertainty about Thailand event too, we really hope that things are under control and the event goes ahead. We need badminton to restart just like other sports.” 

Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal set to return to action in Bangkok following pandemic hiatus