Lakshya's win over Cordon 'deleted' after his opponent's withdrawal; Satwik-Chirag's match cancelled
Paris (PTI): Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen's victory over Kevin Cordon in the opening men's singles Group L match won't be counted as his Guatemalan opponent pulled out of the Paris Olympics due to a left elbow injury.
"Guatemalan men's singles player Kevin Cordon has withdrawn from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Badminton Competition due to a left elbow injury," Badminton World Federation (BWF) said in an update.
"His remaining Group L matches against Indonesia's Jonatan Christie (Court 2, 2pm local time, 29 July 2024) and Julien Carraggi of Belgium (Court 3, 'Not Before' 9.20am local time, 31 July 2024) will not be played. Matches on these courts in each respective session have been rescheduled.
"As per BWF General Competition Regulations for group stage play, the results of all matches played, or yet to be played, involving Cordon in Group L are now considered deleted," the sport's global governing body added.
The withdrawal of Cordon, a Tokyo Olympics semifinalist, means Group L will now be considered a three-player affair, involving Christie and Carraggi of Belgium besides Sen.
The 22-year-old Indian will be the only player in the group to have played three matches as the other two will need to compete in two matches to make it to the knockout stage.
Sen will face Carraggi on Monday and take on Christie in his final group match on Wednesday.
Satwik-Chirag's clash against Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel cancelled
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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's men's doubles Group C clash on Monday has been cancelled following the withdrawal of German player Mark Lamsfuss due to injury.
The Indian pair was scheduled to meet the German duo of Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel on Monday.
"German men’s doubles player Mark Lamsfuss has withdrawn from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 badminton competition due to a knee injury,” the BWF informed.
“Lamsfuss’ and teammate Marvin Seidel‘s remaining Group C matches against India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (Court 3, 8.30am local time, 29 July 2024) and Lucas Corvee/Ronan Labar of France (Court 1, ‘Not Before’ 2.50pm local time, 30 July 2024) will not be played,” it added.
Satwik and Chairag had opened their campaign with a 21-17 21-14 win over the French combination of Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar on Saturday.
They will take on Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in their final game on Tuesday.
Due to the withdrawal of the German pair, the Indonesians' win over Lamsfuss and Sseidel on Saturday has been deleted.
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ISKCON urges Indian intervention following priest's arrest in Bangladesh
Dhaka: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has called on the Indian government to take immediate steps to secure the release of its priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das, detained by Bangladeshi authorities. The arrest occurred near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Das, a prominent ISKCON leader and former divisional organising secretary for Chattogram, faces sedition charges stemming from an October 25 incident. According to a case filed on October 31, 19 individuals, including Das, allegedly placed a saffron flag over the Bangladeshi flag on the Independent Pillar (Shadhinata Smathamva) during a rally organised by the Hindu community under the banner Sanatan Jagaran Mancha.
ISKCON has strongly denied any involvement in terrorism, describing the allegations as "baseless and unacceptable." In a statement, ISKCON declared, "It is outrageous to make baseless allegations that ISKCON has anything to do with terrorism anywhere in the world. ISKCON urges the Government of India to engage with Bangladesh to secure the release of Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das."
Hindu communities in Bangladesh have staged protests demanding better legal protection and the establishment of a minority affairs ministry under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi police have arrested two other suspects, Rajesh Chowdhury and Hriday Das, in connection with the case. The remaining accused include Ajay Dutta, Leela Raj Das Brahmachari, Gopal Das Tipu, and several others. ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das expressed concerns over Das's safety, stating that he had been moved to an undisclosed location by the police.
