NEW DELHI, February 15 (RIA Novosti) – An Indian government ban on the import of Chinese shuttlecocks could threaten the India Open badminton tournament, national media reported on Friday.
The ban on Chinese shuttlecocks was introduced by the Indian agriculture ministry in 2004 following an outbreak of bird flu in China.
Indian authorities feared that the deadly H5N1 virus could spread from China to India through goose-feather shuttlecocks.
An Indian Badminton Association spokesperson said championship organizers in the city of Hyderabad were finding life difficult, as Beijing was the only manufacturer of badminton shuttlecocks for international championships.
The spokesperson, however, was sure that the April 1-6 championship would be held ‘on schedule,’ adding that the ban was likely to be lifted in the next two weeks.
He also added that hundreds of badminton shuttlecocks could also be shipped to India ‘through different channels.’
The Indian Open was scheduled to take place in the fall of last year. It was postponed until 2008 in the wake of a series of blasts in the city that left 42 people dead and over 50 wounded.
India reported an outbreak of bird flu in January in the state of West Bengal. Medical experts believe that the virus originated from neighboring Bangladesh.