Hong Kong badminton player Angus Ng Ka-long withdraws from Asia Championships, throws world No 12 ranking in doubt
- After a third positive Covid-19 result, Hong Kong’s Ng set to withdraw from Badminton Asia Championships
- Hong Kong will send roughly 10 players to Manila, including world No 17 Lee Cheuk-yiu and world No 139 Chan Yin-chak, who will replace Ng
Hong Kong’s top badminton player Angus Ng Ka-long will withdraw from the Super 1000 Asia Championships, putting at risk his world No 12 ranking.
The 27-year-old tested positive for the third time, the most recent being at Hong Kong International Airport on April 2 after returning from Basel, Switzerland.
Although now free from a mandatory seven-day quarantine, Covid-19 fatigue seems to have taken its toll. Ng contracted Covid-19 in the UK in mid-March, then tested positive in Basel, followed by a third positive result in Hong Kong.
Ng’s head coach Tim He Yiming, says Ng has now chosen to withdraw from the Badminton Asia Championships, set to go down in Manila between April 26 and May 1.
“Because he has not been training since contracting the virus, he is under a lot of pressure and lacks confidence, so I respect his choice to withdraw,” He said.
According to coach He, Hong Kong will send roughly 10 players to Manila, including world No 17 Lee Cheuk-yiu in men’s singles with world No 139 Chan Yin-chak, who will replace Ng.
Hong Kong’s mixed doubles pair of Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet, the current World Championships bronze medallists, will be back in action at the Asia Championships.
Hong Kong badminton star Angus Ng stuck in Switzerland with Covid-19
World No 27 Chang Tak-ching and Ng Wing-yung will compete in the mixed doubles, while Chang will also compete in the men’s doubles with Yeung Ming-nok.
He said the Badminton World Federation will soon finalise entries for the women’s singles and doubles.
This year, the BWF elevated the tournament from a World Tour Super 500 to a World Tour Super 1000 event, which means the winner would receive 12,000 points, up from 9,200 for the Super 500.
Manila is set to host the Badminton Asia Championships this month after the tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because Covid-19.
