Two Austrian players pull out of world badminton championships in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Aug 14 (ANI): Two Austrian players pulled out of the ongoing World Badminton Championships being held in Hyderabad over security concerns and swine flu.

The players, Juergen Koch and Peter Zauner, left Hyderabad without informing the organisers.homas Lund, Chief Operating Officer, World Badminton Federation (WBF), confirmed that the two players indeed left the tournament.

"We do not know what was the exact factor and there is no official statement as far as we know saying that any threat level indicate that they had to go home out of security reasons. So it's probably a mixed of different things. We respect that but of course being sorry having not those players participating in this tournament," Lund told reporters in here on Thursday.

Regretting the players' exit, Lund said that the players should have consulted the federation before taking a decision.

"We would have hoped that they would have come to us but again at the end of the day it's their decision," Lund added.

The English team had also withdrawn from the tournament on Sunday citing security reasons. (ANI)