The Indonesian team, with the exclusion of the world No. 1 pair of Kevin Sukamuljo and Marcus Gideon, will still be competing at Bangkok.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has revealed that doubles world No.1 player Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo has been sick with Covid-19 since mid-December. He has reportedly been separated from the rest of the Indonesian team and in home isolation since.
It is learnt that Kevin showed Covid-19 symptoms including loss of sense of smell and taste, and flu around mid-December. He has tested positive in multiple PCR swab tests taken over the last few weeks; his last test which was on 31 December also returned positive.
“Thank you for your prayers and support, I hope I can recover quickly and be able to train again as before. This is also a lesson for me, to always be vigilant in the future,” said the Asian Games gold medallist.
Kevin and his partner Marcus Gideon are, thus, effectively out of the tournaments in Thailand.
However, the rest of the Indonesian team, a contingent of forty (40) people including players and officials, have departed for Bangkok on a charter flight. All forty people tested negative in their PCR swab tests which were taken on January 2.
Regarding Kevin’s situation, coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said, “Even if Kevin’s swab test were (supposedly) negative (today), I don’t think he is fit to compete in these three tough championships (in Bangkok). The preparations weren’t enough either. Hence, the decision is clear. We are not taking Kevin to Bangkok and he has undergone independent isolation so that he can recover his health first.”
