PETALING JAYA: The much-anticipated Asian leg of the World Tour in Bangkok from Jan 12 to 31 has been dealt a severe blow after Japan's world No.1 Kento Momota was forced to pull out.
This comes after the Japan ace tested positive for Covid-19, prompting the Nippon Badminton Association (NBA) to call off their trip to the Thai capital.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, Momota was found to have contracted the virus during the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing prior to the team's departure at Narita Airport in Tokyo Sunday (Jan 3).
The NBA are taking no chances as Momota has been in close contact with the rest of the team during centralised training in Kitaku, Tokyo.
The absence of Momota and other top Japanese players will further affect the quality of the three-tournament series in Bangkok, comprising two Thailand Opens and the World Tour Finals.
The World Tour meets were already without top Chinese stars such as Shi Yuqi and Chen Yufei after the contingent were barred from leaving the country.
Meanwhile, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Wong Choong Hann also tested positive Sunday, a day before he was due to depart with the national team to Bangkok.
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