New Delhi, Jan 9 : B Sai Praneeth and Dhruv Rawat have tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the India Open, starting here on January 11.

Both Praneeth and Rawat have withdrawn from the tournament, which will take place at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, Indira Gandhi Stadium.

“Their RTPCR test before travelling for Delhi has come positive,” said Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Sunday.

Most players started arriving for the tournament. The foreign players and Indian players, ranked under top-25 in the world, will be staying at the same hotel.

All the participating players will be taking the necessary safety precautions right from their arrival in the city as per protocol. They will be tested everyday at the hotel, from where they will be having shuttle buses to go to the stadium, play matches and return to the hotel again.

“BAI will not compromise on the safety of the players as well as others involved, and will be following all the COVID-19 guidelines given by the government.”

Players as well as tournament match officials, Badminton World Federation (BWF) and BAI officials, support staff, vendors and others involved will have to go through a mandatory Covid-19 test each day outside the stadium, and only after being tested negative they will be allowed inside the venue.(UNI)