Terrorists may target World Badminton tournament: Intelligence input

[Loh]

NEWS FLASH




Published by: Sudhir Kumar

Published: Sat, 08 Aug 2009 at 11:31

Hyderabad: Terrorists might target the World Badminton Championships scheduled to begin here from Monday, intelligence inputs said. Following the inputs, security has been tightened around the city and security personnel are keeping a strict vigil.

Intelligence reports said that Lashkar-e-Tayyaba is plotting to target the venue of the championship that begins from August 10. In the week-long championship, over 200 forein players and their support staff are taking part. They have already arrived in the city.

Top-ranked badminton players will be taking part in the World Championship slated to be held at Gatchibowli from August 10 to 16.

Intelligence department has already said that terrorists might carry out attacks on August 15.


(I just hope that nothing untoward will happen to all involved, especially the foreign players and foreign visitors.

[jug8man]

why does it seem to always coincide with badminton tournaments in this India. Can't they like target golf & tennis dates instead?

...sigh

[george@chongwei]

OMG, pray that all the players will be safe ..this is a breaking news indeed:(
loh, please provide the link for the news article that u had posted

[krisss]

OMG, pray that all the players will be safe ..this is a breaking news indeed:(
loh, please provide the link for the news article that u had posted

Hmm , yes - hopefully they don't target the World Championships. That is alarming!

George - might be badzine , I'm not sure.

[suetyan]

OMG, I hope nothing would happen to all the players :( I really hate those terrorists :mad: I think I have to inform some of the players to beware of this especially on 15 August:(

[venkatesh]

NOT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! Please tighten the security. Keep the people safe.

[volcom]

Just like in pakistan where the sri lankan cricket team was attacked with rockets and machine guns.

[abedeng]

Security was already stricter than KL World Championships during India Open. Tracker dogs were deployed.

Anyway, what will be, will be.

Won't stop me from going there.

[suetyan]

Security was already stricter than KL World Championships during India Open. Tracker dogs were deployed.

Anyway, what will be, will be.

Won't stop me from going there.
you must becareful also, wish you have a safe journey :)

[yan_brot]

noordin m top, the number 1 malaysian born terrorist in indonesia was estimated to be killed in a operation in central java this morning.
good news
hope they dont do any terrorist attack in hyderabad during the WC

[huangkwokhau]

Pray..pray...all are safe.........

[Loh]

OMG, pray that all the players will be safe ..this is a breaking news indeed:(
loh, please provide the link for the news article that u had posted

Here's the link:

http://www.samaylive.com:80/news/terrorists-may-target-world-badminton-tournament-intelligence-input/644595.html



noordin m top, the number 1 malaysian born terrorist in indonesia was estimated to be killed in a operation in central java this morning.
good news
hope they dont do any terrorist attack in hyderabad during the WC

Yes we also heard the news on TV this evening. But the authorities want to make absolutely sure they got the right man and have brought Noordin Top's family to identify the body and to do a DNA verification.

Apparently the terrorists had planned to attack the INA President's home but their plans were discovered earlier and they were killed or arrested some distance away from the President's residence before they could do further damage.

Although Noordin Top has now been reportedly killed, it does not mean that the terrorist movement in INA has been destroyed completely. After a quiet period, a new terrorist leader will emerge to take over and continue with their destructive activities. And many young terrorists will continue to be killed together with other innocent lives of ordinary peace loving people.

As for the planned terrorist attack during the WC in Hyderabad, the terrorist group could well be separate and different from the one which planned to attack the INA President. India and Pakistan had been in the news a long time trying to sort out the terrorist problem which India had accused of coming from Pakistan. Pakistan had denied but had recently taken steps to seek out and destroy terrorists in its territory.

Just hope that the Indian authorities will leave no stones unturned to ensure that no innocent lives are in danger.

[limsy]

hopefully,the wc will be a peaceful one

[bananakid]

Out of all places, BWF has to be stupid enough to hold a tournament where security and safety may be an issue. :mad: Now, we can only hope everyone will be safe before, during and after the tournament.

[madbad]

Out of all places, BWF has to be stupid enough to hold a tournament where security and safety may be an issue. :mad: Now, we can only hope everyone will be safe before, during and after the tournament.

If we all started thinking like you, there'd be no international sporting events in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. A terrorist attack can occur anywhere in the world, so you can't really blame BWF for this.

[bananakid]

If we all started thinking like you, there'd be no international sporting events in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. A terrorist attack can occur anywhere in the world, so you can't really blame BWF for this.

LOL... hello:confused::confused::confused:... Just because something can happen anywhere doesn't mean you have to go to the place that is more likely going to happen than anywhere else.

Do you stand still in the middle of a highway, since you know bad things happen in the world all the time?:rolleyes:

If those countries can't guarantee the safety of the athletes that go and compete over there, what gives them the right to hold such event and expect people to show up? Eg. Do you think the Olympics would have been held in anyone of the countries you listed above while they are in such a dangerous state at this moment??? Seriously.

[ctjcad]

- Concur that any terrorist attack could happen anywhere in the world. At the same time, in this particular case, that region of the world is definitely more susceptible to such attacks.
- I would trust that the Indian security personnel are and should be ready, as they say they are.
- The reason why the terrorists are targeting Aug. 15th is because it is India's Independence Day.
- Hope the event will go smoothly without any major disturbances (terrorists or non-terrorists).

Btw, another news to share:
http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINBOM46511720090808
================================================== =======
Badminton-Indian officials allay security fears for worlds

Sat Aug 8, 2009 8:00pm IST Email | Print | Share| Single Page[-] Text [+] HYDERABAD, India, Aug 8 (Reuters) - One thousand police officials and commandos, including experts trained to deal with terror threats, have been assigned to the world badminton championships, the local police commissioner has said.

However, the authorities ruled out any militant threat targeting the championships, which start on Monday on the outskirts of India's southern IT hub of Hyderabad, after domestic media reports raised concerns.

"I'd like to dispel some of these rumours floating about," police commissioner Prabhakar Reddy told a news conference.

"There is no specific input (of an attack)," he said on Saturday. "However, Cyberabad police are geared up to meet any eventuality."

The locality around the venue is called Cyberabad.

Indian home minister Palaniappan Chidambaram also told local media there was no specific threat to the event and federal officials had only sent a general alert to local police.

The Badminton World Federation hired security consultants to inspect the venue in February before giving the go-ahead for the championships.

Security in the sub-continent has been bolstered following the ambush of the Sri Lanka cricket team bus in Lahore, Pakistan in March, killing seven Pakistanis and wounding six players.

That incident triggered concerns sport could become a target for more attacks in south Asia. India also remains nervous after Islamist militants killed 166 people in a strike on Mumbai in November.

Security has been tightened across the nation to ward off any possible militant attacks leading up to India's Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 15. (Writing by Sanjay Rajan in Chennai; Editing by Alison Wildey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0dule32eVLcmV/610x.jpg
France's Chanteur Elisa walks past policemen after attending a practice session ahead of the badminton world championships in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

[bulutangkis]

Usually, if there's a rumor especially with a specific date like this one, it will not happen.

[cooler]

bwf could have change the WC venue after mass killings in mumbai last year but i guess they feel it's an isolated innocents.:rolleyes: There could be political consequences if some important countries's athletes got injured or ....u know what. I heard Uighurs's feathers got ruffled lately.
--------------
November 28, 2008

Mass Murder in Mumbai; Dozens Still Held Hostage
Mumbai. Teams of gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, a crowded train station and a Jewish center in Mumbai, killing more than a hundred people and holding Westerners hostage in coordinated attacks on India’s commercial center that were blamed on Muslim militants.

[jasonmarc]

Lets pray for all the people there including all players, and all people involved in WC.......may all of them peace and safe.......in Hyderabad

[vorxaw]

- Concur that any terrorist attack could happen anywhere in the world. At the same time, in this particular case, that region of the world is definitely more susceptible to such attacks.
- I would trust that the Indian security personnel are and should be ready, as they say they are.
- The reason why the terrorists are targeting Aug. 15th is because it is India's Independence Day.
- Hope the event will go smoothly without any major disturbances (terrorists or non-terrorists).

Btw, another news to share:
http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINBOM46511720090808
================================================== =======
Badminton-Indian officials allay security fears for worlds

Sat Aug 8, 2009 8:00pm IST Email | Print | Share| Single Page[-] Text [+] HYDERABAD, India, Aug 8 (Reuters) - One thousand police officials and commandos, including experts trained to deal with terror threats, have been assigned to the world badminton championships, the local police commissioner has said.

However, the authorities ruled out any militant threat targeting the championships, which start on Monday on the outskirts of India's southern IT hub of Hyderabad, after domestic media reports raised concerns.

"I'd like to dispel some of these rumours floating about," police commissioner Prabhakar Reddy told a news conference.

"There is no specific input (of an attack)," he said on Saturday. "However, Cyberabad police are geared up to meet any eventuality."

The locality around the venue is called Cyberabad.

Indian home minister Palaniappan Chidambaram also told local media there was no specific threat to the event and federal officials had only sent a general alert to local police.

The Badminton World Federation hired security consultants to inspect the venue in February before giving the go-ahead for the championships.

Security in the sub-continent has been bolstered following the ambush of the Sri Lanka cricket team bus in Lahore, Pakistan in March, killing seven Pakistanis and wounding six players.

That incident triggered concerns sport could become a target for more attacks in south Asia. India also remains nervous after Islamist militants killed 166 people in a strike on Mumbai in November.

Security has been tightened across the nation to ward off any possible militant attacks leading up to India's Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 15. (Writing by Sanjay Rajan in Chennai; Editing by Alison Wildey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0dule32eVLcmV/610x.jpg
France's Chanteur Elisa walks past policemen after attending a practice session ahead of the badminton world championships in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.
not to make light of the situation, but those guards have already been rendered useless by distractions
I hope everything goes well, dont terrorists have better things to target than one of the poorest international sports?

[madbad]

LOL... hello:confused::confused::confused:... Just because something can happen anywhere doesn't mean you have to go to the place that is more likely going to happen than anywhere else.

Do you stand still in the middle of a highway, since you know bad things happen in the world all the time?:rolleyes:

If those countries can't guarantee the safety of the athletes that go and compete over there, what gives them the right to hold such event and expect people to show up? Eg. Do you think the Olympics would have been held in anyone of the countries you listed above while they are in such a dangerous state at this moment??? Seriously.

OK, prior to the "news flash", did it even cross your mind that Hyderabad was a dangerous place for badminton? You were probably happily going through the WC threads with nary a thought about safety issues.

Now that this "news flash" has come out, you suddenly launch into the BWF and point fingers at them. It's not like they said "Hyderabad... yup, dangerous enough a venue. Let's endanger all the players' lives by making them play there". Don't you think they would have got some guarantees for safety before deciding on it?

Do you think that when Kennedy went to Dallas in 1963, he had any inkling of what was going to happen? Do you consider Dallas a dangerous place?

Think about 9-11, do you think all those who perished in the unfortunate incidents knew what was coming? Yet international sporting events still run like clockwork in the New York since then.

Since there are murders and accidents everywhere, everyday, the world must be too dangerous a place for you. Perhaps you should insulate yourself in the safety of your home in case anything untoward might happen.

Seriously.

[markchan]

not to make light of the situation, but those guards have already been rendered useless by distractions
I hope everything goes well, dont terrorists have better things to target than one of the poorest international sports?

:D LOL .. I concur with your sharp observation...:D...I was "distracted" too..

[cooler]

:D LOL .. I concur with your sharp observation...:D...I was "distracted" too..
she is in their 'field of vision'

Seinfeld:)

[volcom]

For a great follower of cricket like me, when I heard the WC is held in India and hyderabad, the first thing that flashes across my mind is terrorist attacks.

There has been some many bombings in India in the past few months it's not a joke.
The australia davis cup team refuse to play there, the IPL was nearly not held there because of security issues ( it was moved to SA anyway cos of elections). The mumbai hostage thing etc etc.

[madbad]

For a great follower of cricket like me, when I heard the WC is held in India and hyderabad, the first thing that flashes across my mind is terrorist attacks.

There has been some many bombings in India in the past few months it's not a joke.
The australia davis cup team refuse to play there, the IPL was nearly not held there because of security issues ( it was moved to SA anyway cos of elections). The mumbai hostage thing etc etc.

Sorry, off-topic... you must be enjoying AUS's current position in the 4th Ashes Test. With a win imminent, this sets up an intriguing 5th Test at the Oval. ENG's batting has been woeful.

[jasonmarc]

If i m not mistaken, the 2008 India Open was cancelled because of terrorist attack in Hyderabad........am i right...?

[jasonmarc]

Latest :

England withdraw the whole team from Hyderabad WC.............China Press Malaysia

http://www.chinapress.com.my/breaking_new.asp?a=0810bkf10.txt

[suetyan]

Latest :

England withdraw the whole team from Hyderabad WC.............China Press Malaysia

http://www.chinapress.com.my/breaking_new.asp?a=0810bkf10.txt
OMG, too bad :(

[volcom]

Sorry, off-topic... you must be enjoying AUS's current position in the 4th Ashes Test. With a win imminent, this sets up an intriguing 5th Test at the Oval. ENG's batting has been woeful.
Yah haha...
I can't believe England went into the test with 5 bowlers and Broad batting at 7....
England have a unhealthy obsession with Harmisson and hoping he can reclaim some kind of for he had in 04-05...
And Bopara I feel is just not up to standard... sure he scored 3 centuries against the pretty woeful West Indies... but that is also after numerous dropped catches and chances.
He is more appalling than Owais Shah for me and seems more mentally disintegrated by Warnes comments, which I totally agree with.

[george@chongwei]

hope everything wil be running smoothly though.
pray hard.
btw, will the air cond be switch off as planned and talked before?:confused:

[twobeer]

I find it a bit puzzling that England of all nations pulls out of the Championship...

I am pretty sure there will be "terrorist threats" 2012 in London Olympics as well.. Do the UK fellows think everyone should not participate in their olympics then...

If they feel that the organisation has not proper security they should raise that as an objection imop..

Life is full of risks.. just by taking the taxi back to the airport, they will take a risk..

Personally I cannot really respect their decision..

/Twobeer

[Jim_80]

Indeed, it seems bizarre. Unless the team itself received a threat :confused:

[fast3r]

By badminton standards this is really massive news in the UK i.e. it has actually made the news, in a fairly big way as well. If anything good has come out of this at least people may know that the badminton world champs exist and are actually taking place as it won't have got any coverage otherwise.

[Jim_80]

It's pretty sad that this is the first time Badminton has hit the mainstream news over here since the Olympics last year...

[Loh]

Indeed, it seems bizarre. Unless the team itself received a threat :confused:

Clark and Nathan will surely miss their chance of being WC Champion although the MD competition seems to be the most competitive initially, until the WR1 of INA's Kido and Setiawan withdrew because of Kido's sickness. :(

[vpsingh]

With all due respects to English Team about the safety of their players, I wonder how are they going to deal with London Olympics in three years time. :eek:
Do they expect to all terrorists have a heart change by then? They will be handling tens of thousands of athletes, staffs and many hundreds of fans entering their country.
Anyway with British involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan etc. any place they go, they will remain big targets. :-(
Anyway, let's hope this is another of those false alert and with Commonwealth Game just a year away, I am sure Indian security will not take any risk at all.

[Chibot]

I hope everything will running smoothly

[Loh]

Hours ago I heard from our TV news that apparently there were personal threats supposedly against certain members of the England team.

That perhaps was the main reason why England pulled out on the eve of this WC.

"Better late than never" if indeed this was the case rather than regret if something really bad should happen.

Security seems to be very tight at the badminton venue now as we get to see pictures not only of the courts inside the stadium but outside as well when visitors were thoroughly seached at the entrance and armed guards with dogs are stationed in the vicinity.

[chris-ccc]

Security seems to be very tight at the badminton venue now as we get to see pictures not only of the courts inside the stadium but outside as well when visitors were thoroughly searched at the entrance and armed guards with dogs are stationed in the vicinity.



.
A message to terrorists reading this:

It's sad that our world has changed so much over the last 8 years or so.
OK... to the terrorists it's War, War, War. But why should innocent and non-political people be targeted? :mad::mad::mad:

Let's have some peace... chris@ccc
.

[drifit]

A message to terrorists reading this:
i do wonder whether the terrorist will surf net and find this message or not...?

[drifit]

scary LCW.

Sunday August 9, 2009

Badminton: Organisers move to allay fears after report on terrorist threat

By RAJES PAUL


A NEWSPAPER report in Hyderabad that the World Championships venue may be a target of terrorist attack has put fear and anxiety in the minds of everyone yesterday.
http://thestar.com.my/archives/2009/8/9/sports/s_pg52hyderabad.jpg The newspaper report that left Hyderabad in fear.
National doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky said his eyes nearly popped out when he read about the threat in the local newspaper, The Times of India, in the morning.
“I was shocked to read the report which said that the world meet will be one of the targets,” said Rexy.
The initial reaction was understandable because there were incidents of bombings in Hyderabad last year.
But the Badminton World Federa*tion (BWF) quickly played down the report, saying there was no such threat.
The BWF held an emergency meeting with the security team to discuss the article that appeared on the front page of the newspaper. It claimed that a group of terrorist was targeting the world meet, which will begin at the Gachibowli Stadium tomorrow.
The Cyberrabad Police Commis*sioner, Prabakhar Reddy, also issued a press statement later yesterday confirming that there was no security threat.
“There is no specific threat to the security of the World Championships. There were no calls or threats made to the security of the world meet,” he said.
“Whatever measures we are taking now (on assigning many security personnel) are routine.
“There has been a general alert to tighten up the security because of our upcoming Independent Day celebration on Aug 15. This is what we do every year ahead of the celebration.”
The teams, however, have been advised to be patient as they go through several security check points at the hotel and the stadium throughout the one-week competition.
Rexy said the Malaysian players would not let the matter affect their preparation for the world meet.
“We are quite strict about our players’ whereabouts. For now, we are confined to the hotel and stadium only,” said Rexy.
“We have also asked the team members to stay calm. We have to rely on who we believe and ask for God’s protection.
http://thestar.com.my/archives/2009/8/9/sports/s_pg52chwei.jpg Strict security: Lee Chong Wei getting onto a bus under the watchful eyes of a thickly moustached policeman. -S.S.KANESAN / The Star
“The players have been told to stay calm and to focus on their dreams of making history here.
“I am not making light of this matter but we have to take it in the proper perspective.”
All the teams have arrived for the world meet and had a feel of the stadium throughout the day.

from: the star (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/8/9/sports/4486753&sec=sports)

[venkatesh]

Hahaha. No terrorist would bother LCW as he is guarded by a thickly moustached policeman. Be warned. If you ever go near LCW, you'd be entangled and trapped at the policeman's moustache.

[Loh]

BBC News
2009/08/09 19:56:50 GMT

The England team has withdrawn from the World Badminton Championships in India because of "a specific terrorist threat" made by extremists.

The eight-strong squad pulled out of the tournament, which starts on Monday in Hyderabad, after reports of threats by Muslim extremists Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Badminton England said it was "an incredibly tough decision".

Badminton Scotland said its players will stay, and Welsh Badminton have three players at the tournament.

The England squad arrived home on Sunday night ahead of a news conference by players and officials at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes on Monday.

Anne Smillie, chief executive of Badminton Scotland, said that Badminton England had "perhaps overreacted".

She said: "I don't necessarily think they've made the right decision.

"Certainly our Scottish players and our team manager who are in Hyderabad feel confident that the security is at its best. They have been well looked after and they have no intention of coming home."

Volatile environment

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said: "After the Olympic Games, this is the most prestigious championships in the world but we were not prepared to risk the safety of our players, coaches and staff in what we felt could have been a very volatile environment."

He said the team, which included Olympic silver medallist Nathan Robertson, had "carefully considered" information from local police authorities.

“ Our athletes were extremely well prepared for these championships but, at the end of the day, personal safety must take priority over performance ”
Ian Moss Badminton England

And after taking advice from the Foreign Office and British High Commission, the conclusion made by Badminton England was "that safety is of paramount importance," he added.

Performance director Ian Moss said: "It is a disappointing outcome, especially after we had enjoyed a very good preparation at our holding camp in Doha, Qatar, last week.

"Our athletes were extremely well prepared for these championships but, at the end of the day, personal safety must take priority over performance.


Rahul Tandon, BBC News, Calcutta The decision by the England badminton team to pull out of the World Championships came as a surprise to many here. But it does raise questions about India's ability to host major sporting events. There are plenty of them coming up. The first ever Cricket Champions League featuring teams from England, South Africa and New Zealand takes place in October. It was cancelled last year because of the attacks in Mumbai. Whilst India's largest ever sporting event the Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi next year. Security is a sensitive issue with the sporting authorities here. They say there was no specific threat against the championships in Hyderabad but they know that following the Mumbai attacks some sports stars are worried about coming to India. Those fears grew when the world's most lucrative cricket tournament, the IPL, was shifted from India to South Africa earlier this year. The men who run Indian sport are now going to have to work hard to counter the growing perception that the world's biggest democracy is not a safe place for international sports stars.
"This was a unanimous squad decision and is not reflective of the efforts made by the organising committee to create the safest environment possible for all athletes."

Terror attacks

Lashkar-e-Taiba is Urdu for Soldiers of the Pure, and is a Pakistan-based organisation fighting against Indian control in Kashmir.

It has been blamed for several terrorist incidents in India including the October 2005 bomb attacks in Delhi, which saw 60 people killed, and is alleged to have played a part in the armed raid on the Indian parliament in December 2001.

It was also linked with the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November 2008, which killed at least 188 people.

Gerry Sutcliffe, the sport minister, insisted the decision had been that of Badminton England alone.

He added: "It's a decision that's not taken lightly, but you have to support them, because the players' security has to come first."

Ms Smillie said she understood that England was the only team to pull out of the tournament.

The Scots have two singles players in the tournament - Susan Hughes and Alistair Casey.

Welsh Badminton said its three Welsh players are still at the championships, but that the situation is being closely monitored.

The Foreign Office and Department for Culture, Media and Sport had earlier issued a statement saying: "The British High Commission had been in close contact with the Indian authorities which gave assurances that the highest level of security was in place around the Badminton World Championships."

[Loh]

Bernama.com
August 09, 2009 16:31 PM


By P.Vijian

HYDERABAD, Aug 9 (Bernama) -- Under a canopy of tight security, Malaysian shuttlers will begin their quest for the prestigious Yonex-Sunrise World Badminton Champions on Monday, as Indian officials quelled any terrorist threat to players in the historical city which was once ruled by the aristrocratic Nizam dynasty.

Ignoring a milieu of woes -- security risks across India ahead of its Independence Day on Aug 15, compounded by the swelling swine flu deaths -- the world's top badminton players assembled in the Andra Pradesh capital.

The state has been vulnerable to terrorist strikes in the past.

Acting on intelligence gatherings, India's top security agency, Intelligence Bureau (IB) has alerted that terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba might launch a strike, similar to the armed ambush on the Sri Lankan national cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan, last March, where several players were injured.

But, undeterred by outside troubles, a relaxed Malaysian team warmed up inside the Gochibowli Indoor Stadium, where their only rivals now are the strong wind from the internal air-conditioning that could disturb the flow of shuttlecocks and the overpowering, ultra-fit Chinese players.

"The air-condition is certainly a problem inside the stadium, our players are trying to adjust their play," national singles coach Datuk Misbun Sidek told Bernama today.

Commenting on his prodigy, current world champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Misbun said Lee was not under any pressure, even from his shadow-rival China's Lin Dan, seeded fifth in the tournament.

"I told him to focus on his game, he is the number one now. I just want him to concentrate on the tournament and not on Lin Dan.

"He (Lin Dan) is just another player in the tournament, he is not superior" added Misbun.

Asked about the overall mood of the national badminton team for the championship, Misbun said Malaysian players were in the right frame of mind and ready for the big challenge.

"This is the tournament they waited very much for. They are looking cheerful and ready for the game, both mentally and physically fit. They don't seem to be under any pressure," said Misbun.

This year's tournament has attracted 330 players from 44 badminton-playing nations.

[chris-ccc]

"This is the tournament they waited very much for. They are looking cheerful and ready for the game, both mentally and physically fit. They don't seem to be under any pressure," said Misbun.

This year's tournament has attracted 330 players from 44 badminton-playing nations.



.
Misbun has forgotten to comment about the foods that MAS players are cheerful/lucky to have (prepared by MAS special chefs). ;););)
.

[Ningtyas]

bad news.

China on brink of pulling out of Worlds

China are poised to follow England's lead and pull out of the World Badminton Championships in Hyderabad, India.
"There is possibility that China will withdraw from the tournament due to security concerns," said head coach Li Yongbo after the opening day's matches yesterday.
"There are World Championships every year. The players' safety is much more important than the competition."
Li, who told reporters a day earlier that China would stay and compete unless the tournament was canceled, said he had received a phone call yesterday morning from senior officials of the State General Administration of Sports (SGAS), China's sports' governing body, and they had expressed serious concerns about the safety of the Chinese players.
"We have to admit the organizing committee did make great efforts but I think it's still not enough. We can have so many policemen but there are still other people coming in and out of the hotel without restrictions."
Li said he will talk today with sports minister Liu Peng, who's in charge of SGAS, and a final decision will then be made.
The Netherlands and Denmark are also reportedly considering withdrawing from the tournament.

http://www.china.org.cn/sports/2009-08/11/content_18312141.htm

[Loh]

bad news.

China on brink of pulling out of Worlds

China are poised to follow England's lead and pull out of the World Badminton Championships in Hyderabad, India.

"There is possibility that China will withdraw from the tournament due to security concerns," said head coach Li Yongbo after the opening day's matches yesterday.

The Netherlands and Denmark are also reportedly considering withdrawing from the tournament.

http://www.china.org.cn/sports/2009-08/11/content_18312141.htm


(Maybe it is fair to tell England's side of the story by completing the other part of the above report. ;)

England defend pull-out

Meanwhile, England yesterday defended their decision to pull out of the Worlds, saying security in the host city was lax.

Olympic silver medalist Nathan Robertson said he feared the team could have faced an attack like the one in which the Sri Lankan cricket team was targeted in Lahore, Pakistan, in March, which killed eight people.

The England team's decision to leave prompted claims that it had over-reacted from India's Home Secretary, G.K. Pillai, as well as the Scottish team.

"We don't think we have overreacted, we were very clear with our expectations of security before the championships," said Badminton England's chief executive, Adrian Christy.

"We went to Hyderabad with every intention of being met with appropriate levels of security considering recent attacks that have taken place in the country," he said at a press conference in Milton Keynes, north of London.

"We were not particularly impressed with the level of security that we were faced with."

(AFP/China Daily August 11, 2009)

[**KZ**]

terrorists are the dumbest people on earth....killing people and claiming that to be the work of god...how stupid...don't they ever realise they are killing people of the same religion or the same beliefs?

[Loh]

The Examiner

Associated Press
08/10/09 1:40 PM EDT

By: SANDEEP NAKAI


HYDERABAD, INDIA — Tight security marked the start of the World Badminton Championship on Monday, with more than 1,000 police officers deployed to protect teams a day after England pulled out because of safety concerns.

Every person entering the stadium in southern India passed through metal detectors and was frisked by police. The stadium floor was restricted to accredited team members, coaches and tournament supervisors.

Uniformed police traveled on team buses from the hotel to the venue, with organizers intent on making security more visible for badminton's showpiece event.

Thomas Lund, chief operating officer of the Badminton World Federation, said no other team "expressed any reservation" about security.

"The players are enjoying the championships and the focus is back on badminton," he added. "England's decision to withdraw was an overreaction. Everything here's fine."

China's Lin Dan, looking to become the first player to win three successive titles, played his first match Monday. It was the first time he played in India.

"I don't see the security as a problem," Lin said.

China coach Li Yong Bo was pleased with arrangements the past three days.

"Of course, we're concerned about our security, but have seen that India's done a wonderful job," Li said.

Adrian Christy, chief executive of Badminton England, said Monday his team was not given "appropriate levels of security" for the tournament.

Security concerns over sports events in South Asia have been heightened since the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan, that killed six police officers and a driver in March.

Seven cricketers, an assistant coach and a match official were injured, and England's Commonwealth Games champion Nathan Robertson said he and his teammates were disturbed by the threat of a similar attack.

"It wasn't a safe place for staff or players," Robertson said at the news conference in Milton Keynes, England. "We were on back roads with no armed guards or anything — just a bus driver. It doesn't matter to me where it is in the world, we weren't safe in that situation. It wasn't a difficult decision in my mind."

But John Ahlert, security consultant for badminton's world federation, was satisfied with the way the security agencies had done their job Monday.

"We've had no problems ... not even water bottles were allowed inside (the stadium)," Ahlert said.

Lund said security consultants had been working with organizers and police for months.

In November, terror attacks in Mumbai left 164 people dead and forced the cancellation in India of a cricket tournament involving provincial teams from five countries.


Find this article at:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sports/ap/52890467.html

[2cents]

- Concur that ...
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0dule32eVLcmV/610x.jpg
France's Chanteur Elisa walks past policemen after attending a practice session ahead of the badminton world championships in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

From the picture, we can tell Indians are peace lovers. Why? because they are butt watchers! As long as they have nice butts to watch, they would stop terror attacking.

Ok, let's back to the topic. Why the USA, as a country, is so strong? If their president got killed, the vice president would step in, if VP got killed, there would be more than 100 people in the line of succession.

So, for stronger world badminton, we need to develop the line of succession also. Assume the terrorists are pretty good professionally, assume they have their job perfectly done, sad for us, all the players at WC got killed, then we have to make new super stars. Some questions may rise:


Will team England be the strongest power in badminton?
Who will be the best MS? Chen Long or Andrew Smith?
Who will be the best WS? Zhu Ling, Jiang YJ, Wang Xin or Wang SX? China will be more dominate in this event?
Who will be the best MD? Kido and Setiawan will still split? Can they handle Clark/Robertson who just won Singapre open ?
Who will be the best WD? Will Pan Pan/Tian Q finally be the best?
Who will be the best XD? Team England will dominate?


it seems to me that all position depth are not deep enough, except Women's singles.

[ctjcad]

..is likely going to continue til next yr's Commonwealth Games, where a lot more athletes will compete...How will India cope when such news circulate again? How will those teams/athletes cope with such news?
Will we see a much bigger exodus of teams/players in next yr's CG when this same scenario happens again?? How will India's CG organizer prove/guarantee a smooth CG & their security will not be laxed & be even more tighter??..

...So, for stronger world badminton, we need to develop the line of succession also. Assume the terrorists are pretty good professionally, assume they have their job perfectly done, sad for us, all the players at WC got killed, then we have to make new super stars. Some questions may rise:


Will team England be the strongest power in badminton?
Who will be the best MS? Chen Long or Andrew Smith?
Who will be the best WS? Zhu Ling, Jiang YJ, Wang Xin or Wang SX? China will be more dominate in this event?
Who will be the best MD? Kido and Setiawan will still split? Can they handle Clark/Robertson who just won Singapre open ?
Who will be the best WD? Will Pan Pan/Tian Q finally be the best?
Who will be the best XD? Team England will dominate?


it seems to me that all position depth are not deep enough, except Women's singles.
..it ain't gonna happen..:cool:

[Loh]

..is likely going to continue til next yr's Commonwealth Games, where a lot more athletes will compete...How will India cope when such news circulate again? How will those teams/athletes cope with such news?
Will we see a much bigger exodus of teams/players in next yr's CG when this same scenario happens again?? How will India's CG organizer prove/guarantee a smooth CG & their security will not be laxed & be even more tighter??..

..it ain't gonna happen..:cool:

And CHN will continue to dominate, certainly not ENG, as CHN already have a well-established system of developing young shuttlers. Apart from table-tennis, badminton is another favourite with the masses and with increasing wealth, Chinese companies are more willing to sponsor events, just like what Li Ning is now doing. So will powerhouses like INA and MAS, INA being the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

JPN & KOR will have to create more incentives and opportunites for the young to become badminton professionals and will have to re-look into their system of selecting, nurturing and developing them. They are not much different from their European counterparts where economic and living standards are higher and receiving a good education means a first step to financial security and success. To many parents badminton does not give their children the assurance. SIN is also in the same boat.

However, if IND continue to pay greater interest in the game as they do now and more sponsors are willing to invest in professional badminton to market their own brand names, IND could be the next powerhouse, say in a generation. But IND have not known to be agressive in sports, even their cricket and hockey teams have underperformed for quite a while now compared to their sterling years.

So unfortunately CHN will continue to dominate for a long time to come. They can keep badminton fans interested with their continuous stream of new talented faces, especially the pretty ones, guys and gals alike. ;):):D

[ctjcad]

And CHN will continue to dominate...(rest of Loh's post snipped)...
..Loh, you should've quoted 2cents' post instead of mine...:p

[madbad]

Actually Badminton & football are China passion but dunno why their football still lag behind?

Single child syndrome... don't know how to play together.

The players are hell bent on beating up referees and bringing the game into disrepute

[george@chongwei]

some news report regarding this case;) and the H1N1..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6qKafE_6Q4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJioiZ2BKF4

[george@chongwei]

nordin md top is not dead yet according to the news report 2 days ago:(..hmm..

[suetyan]

some news report regarding this case;) and the H1N1..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6qKafE_6Q4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJioiZ2BKF4
now it has turned from H1N1 to H3N2 :eek:

[george@chongwei]

i heard that latest disease called h3n8..its caused by the dog flu i think..omg, what the world had become now?? as i said earlier in other thread, the world is coming to an end:(

[suetyan]

i heard that latest disease called h3n8..its caused by the dog flu i think..omg, what the world had become now?? as i said earlier in other thread, the world is coming to an end:(
doomsday is coming soon :(

[suetyan]

So, today is going to be the last day for WC. :D I think no more terrorists attack. :D

[george@chongwei]

i didnt see anything bad happen yesterday..thank GOD for that:)

[ctjcad]

So, today is going to be the last day for WC. :D I think no more terrorists attack. :D
..that could happen in today's Finals Rd. are some "heart attacks" from BCers (INA, KOR or DEN supporters) watching the matches..

[Loh]

..that could happen in today's Finals Rd. are some "heart attacks" from BCers (INA, KOR or DEN supporters) watching the matches..

I think August 15th (India's Independence Day?) was the target day. But thanks to the ENG team which pulled out much earlier citing inadequate security arrangements, the Indian authorities then beefed up the security to enable the WC to continue smoothly without any incidents. :D

[george@chongwei]

so i would say this this year wc in hyderabad is a success one!
cheers!:):D

[twobeer]

I think August 15th (India's Independence Day?) was the target day. But thanks to the ENG team which pulled out much earlier citing inadequate security arrangements, the Indian authorities then beefed up the security to enable the WC to continue smoothly without any incidents. :D

Persoanlly I think they would have beefed up the security even if England had not went home, just for the press/media/concerns..

England just overeacted imop, and to me it seems like a case of predjudism against the host country (not beleiveng they can provide adequate security measuers). If everyone acted like England I am sure there would be an encouragement for more Terrorism, and threats around the globe!!

/Twobeer

[Loh]

Persoanlly I think they would have beefed up the security even if England had not went home, just for the press/media/concerns..

England just overeacted imop, and to me it seems like a case of predjudism against the host country (not beleiveng they can provide adequate security measuers). If everyone acted like England I am sure there would be an encouragement for more Terrorism, and threats around the globe!!

/Twobeer

Well India will have a chance to check on ENG's security arrangements when the time comes for the London Olympics 2012. If IND is unhappy then, they can do likewise.

Let's hope ENG will not lend themselves to criticisms just as they criticized India on this WC. :rolleyes: But I think ENG will fortify their security since they had experienced the terrorist bombing on the same day (?) of their successful bid for hosting the Summer Olympics. Can't remember the details. ;)

[hezudao]

Actually Badminton & football are China passion but dunno why their football still lag behind?

erm no, badminton isn't as popular in china. soccer and basketball still dominate., esp among the younger demo.

most chinese would gladly exchange all 4 world championship gold for a gold medal in mens basketball.

[twobeer]

erm no, badminton isn't as popular in china. soccer and basketball still dominate., esp among the younger demo.

most chinese would gladly exchange all 4 world championship gold for a gold medal in mens basketball.

Popularity is so hard to measure...

Most Chineese I have talked to has rated Basket as no.1 Badminton as no.2 and Ping Pong no.3 all in front of soccer.. But it is of course hard to "measure" "popularity".. is it no of amateurs, recretaional players?!? No. of registered competing playes? No. viewers in the olympics??!? THe popularity of stars/athletes of the game? etc..etc..

But of course if you ask differnent people/organistaion/institutes to come up with a "popularity" list they will most likely come to different results :-)

/Twobeer

[chris-ccc]

Popularity is so hard to measure...

Most Chinese I have talked to has rated Basketball as no.1, Badminton as no.2 and Ping Pong no.3, all in front of soccer. But it is of course hard to "measure" "popularity".. is it no of amateurs, recreational players?!? No. of registered competing players? No. viewers in the olympics??!? The popularity of stars/athletes of the game? etc..etc..

But of course if you ask different people/organistaion/institutes to come up with a "popularity" list they will most likely come to different results :-)

/Twobeer



.
twobeer ... Perhaps you have been talking mostly to Chinese who play Badminton, and/or Chinese from southern China, where Badminton is more popular.

Try talking to other Chinese who do not play Badminton, and they would tell you that Badminton cannot be included in the top 3 popular sports played/watched in China.

Talking about worldwide, the best way to determine how popular each sport is, is to get the estimates from their International Sports Federations.

Here are some statistics (but don't know how true they are).
Source: johann-sandra.com (http://www.johann-sandra.com/popular.htm)



Sport
2002 Estimates of Participants Worldwide
(Number of Affiliated National Federations)
Volleyball (http://www.fivb.ch/)
998 Million
(218)
Basketball (http://www.fiba.com/)
400 Million
(211)
Table Tennis (http://www.ittf.com/)
300 Million
(186)
Soccer (http://www.fifa.com/)
242 Million
(204)
Badminton (http://www.intbadfed.org/)
200 Million
(147)
Tennis (http://www.itftennis.com/)
60 Million
(191)
Baseball (http://www.baseball.ch/)
60 Million
(110)
Dragon Boat Racing (http://www.dragonboat.org.uk/idbf/)
50 Million
(51)
Team Handball (http://www.ihf.info/)
18 Million
(147)
Hockey (http://www.fihockey.org/)
3 million
(118)
Judo (http://www.ijf.org/)
2.5 Million
(187)
Rugby (http://www.irb.com/)
2 Million
(97)
Cycling (http://www.uci.ch/)
600,000
(160)


Cheers... chris@ccc
.

[twobeer]

Hi Chris!

As you point out is is different to whom you ask.. That is why I think it is hard to make any bold claims :-) . It is just estimates..

The sport federations own numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt imop.

The list is ovisously quite ridicilous.. Volleyball no. 1 ..yeah right.. and pigs may fly :-) . It is obiviosu that they made the calculation in self interest to "boast" their perceived popularity :-)

IF I was a head of the Cycling federation.. I am sure I could get to the top by calculating the number of people cycling in the world.. ansd so on..

The figures from the federations are quite meningless as I see it..

The problem is that there really isn't a single definition of how to measure "popularity", but even so a question like.

Which sport do you like to play the most?

Which sport do you find most exciting to watch?

or which sport do you spend most money on?

Does not necessary produce the same results in a poll :p

/Twobeer