KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Paris Olympics mixed doubles badminton competition will proceed without any replacement or redraw following the withdrawal of Danish ace Mathias Christiansen, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed today.
There is no provision in the Olympic Qualifying Regulations for elevating a replacement pair as Christiansen’s withdrawal did not significantly disrupt the initial draw.
“The mixed doubles draw will now feature 15 pairs, with Group C consisting of three pairs,” it said in a statement today.
The BWF said that Badminton Denmark had issued a statement earlier saying that Christiansen’s withdrawal was linked to unintentional errors made in reporting his whereabouts with Anti-Doping Denmark.
“In consultation with the Olympic Games tournament referee, BWF has removed Christiansen and his partner Alexandra Boje from Group C of the mixed doubles draw,” it said.
The Olympic badminton competition will be held at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena from July 27 to August 5.
Malaysia’s top mixed doubles pair of Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, the world number nine, are in Group D with China’s world number two Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping, Singapore’s world number 18 Terry Hee-Jessica Tan, and the United States’ Vinson Chiu-Jennie Gai.
— Bernama
