Singapore’s Badminton Star Faces Setback Ahead of Upcoming Tournaments
Singapore’s first badminton world champion, Loh Kean Yew, has withdrawn from the Swiss Open, taking place this week (March 22 to 27) at St Jakobshalle in Basel.
Loh is among over 470 million individuals worldwide who have contracted COVID-19, marking him as the latest member of the Singapore team to test positive. The Singapore Badminton Association confirmed that Loh tested positive in Birmingham last Friday, just two days after his first-round loss at the All-England Open to Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, the world’s third-ranked player.
Previously, Loh had defeated Antonsen in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Huelva, Spain, where he secured the gold medal on December 19, 2021. Antonsen, in turn, tied for the bronze medal with India’s Lakshya Sen in that tournament.
On Wednesday morning, Loh announced his withdrawal from the Swiss Open via social media, sharing updates on both Facebook and Instagram.
“I’ve been feeling unwell with COVID over the past few days, which is why I had to withdraw from the Swiss Open. My symptoms have been mild, and I’m monitoring my condition closely. Thank you all for your care and concern. Take care and stay safe!” he wrote. He added that he plans to use this downtime to unwind and hopes to resume training soon to prepare for the upcoming tournament marathon in the coming months.
A spokesperson for the Singapore Badminton Association informed The Straits Times that Loh cannot travel until he tests negative for COVID-19, stating, “It’s essentially a waiting game before he can leave and return to Singapore.”
After recovering, Loh will train in Singapore before heading to South Korea for the Korea Open (April 5 to 10) and the Korea Masters (April 12 to 17).
Loh’s brother, fellow badminton player Loh Kean Hean, continues to compete in the Swiss Open, participating in both men’s doubles and mixed doubles events.
In men’s doubles, he partners with Terry Hee, and the duo currently holds the 88th position in the world rankings, with a world tour rank of 36th. For mixed doubles, Loh teams up with Tan Wei Han, who are ranked 69th globally, with a world tour rank of 13th.
Loh Kean Yew, meanwhile, ranks 10th in the world and 6th on the world tour. The Swiss Open would have marked his first opportunity to compete as a seeded player in the Badminton World Federation World Tour.
