Thailand women’s singles shuttler Ratchanok Intanon in action against China’s Wang Zhiyi in the semi-final match of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Saturday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Former world champion Ratchanok Intanon has been left bitterly disappointed after missing out on the Indonesian Open at Istora Senayan this week, with her name omitted from the tournament's official registration list.
The unexpected situation has caused confusion not just for the 30-year-old shuttler, but also for her club, the Banthongyord Badminton School, who were responsible for handling her entry into the prestigious tournament.
In a statement, Banthongyord said they had followed the standard procedures they had always adhered to when registering players for international competitions. This included submitting all the necessary documents, including the list of players under the club, to the national body, the Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT).
However, the club were shocked to learn that when the tournament got underway yesterday, Ratchanok's name was missing from the list, dashing her hopes of competing in Jakarta.
To make matters worse, the club said they had not been informed of the reason behind the omission.
"The Banthongyod Badminton School would like to clarify that in the past, we have sent documents confirming their participation in every competition within the specified time frame.
"Similarly, for the 2025 Indonesian Open competition, the Banthongyod Badminton School have sent documents and a list of athletes to apply to participate in the competition under the specified procedures and time frame as usual to the agency that oversees the sending of athletes from Thailand to the BWF as usual.
"Later, the agency informed that Ratchanok Intanon's name was not in the 2025 Indonesian Open. The exact reason for the name's absence this time is unknown. The relevant parties helped coordinate with BWF to add the name, but were unable to do so because the deadline for submitting names according to the BWF's schedule had already passed," said Banthongyord.
According to the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) regulations, the deadline for player registration for the Indonesian Open was April 22 — and late entries are not accepted under any circumstances.
For the record, Ratchanok won the title in 2015 after defeating Japan’s Yui Hashimoto in the final.
