Sunday - August 09, 2009

Terrorism on the courts

The England badminton team fled the world championships in India yesterday after reports of a ‘specific terror threat’. The eight-strong squad, including Olympic silver medalist Nathan Robertson, flew home after claims they would be targeted by Islamic group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

It was feared the group, which killed 188 in Mumbai last year, would strike on August 15, the anniversary of India’s independence.

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said: ‘This was an incredibly tough decision and one we didn’t take lightly.
The England badminton team fled the world championships in India yesterday after reports of a ‘specific terror threat’.

The eight-strong squad, including Olympic silver medalist Nathan Robertson, flew home after claims they would be targeted by Islamic group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

It was feared the group, which killed 188 in Mumbai last year, would strike on August 15, the anniversary of India’s independence.

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said: ‘This was an incredibly tough decision and one we didn’t take lightly.

The modern face of the game: armed guards with automatic weapons patrol the gymnasium


‘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.’

The team’s decision to pull out was criticised by authorities in Hyderabad as 42 other teams, including Scotland and Wales, are staying for the competition which starts today. But Mr Christy said the England camp was ‘extremely grateful’ for the speed in which the BWF (Badminton World Federation) and the organising committee reacted to the threat.

‘We have carefully considered the comments made by the local police authorities and we know that they have the best interest of all competitors in mind. ‘We have also listened to the advice from the Foreign Office and British High Commission. We have been in constant dialogue with them over the past couple of days. ‘The conclusion is that safety is of paramount importance and therefore, with great regret, the team will be returning home immediately.’

Read More at The Daily Mail Online



Wales and Scotland did not leave. Was the English team targeted specifically? Are their coaches overreacting? Could this be the modern version of “the dog ate my homework”?

PS - One thing that I love about reading the Brit papers online, is that you can’t go 2 whole paragraphs without seeing a thumbnail for a sidebar story about some young pretty thing. I gather the Brits need tremendous sexual stimulus just to make it through the news. And I have noticed, over time, that they seem to have some rather different standards than we do over here. So, allow me to help them out, in case they might like a larger American audience ...

This porridge is too hot!”
This porridge is too cold!
This porridge is just right!

Posted by Drew458     on 08/09/2009 at 08:16 PM   
Filed Under: • Terrorists • UK •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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