BAI to ‘wait and watch’; ad-hoc body may run badminton

Bengaluru: The Badminton Association of India on Thursday said it would 'wait and watch' before deciding to form an ad-hoc body to govern the sport in the state.
Having disaffiliated the Karnataka Badminton Association on Wednesday for failing to amend its constitution despite 'several reminders', BAI said KBA's next move would dictate the sport's future in Karnataka.
"We want to wait and see what happens. Disaffiliating a unit such as Karnataka is not a happy situation for us. KBA needs to revise its constitution as per norms quickly and get back its affiliation if it is serious about the sport. If we sense an inordinate delay, we will form an ad-hoc body to run badminton in Karnataka," BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra told TOI.
Reiterating that KBA's intent is of critical importance, Mishra said: "It all depends on how the association reacts. If the officials get down to amending the constitution, then we will wait. If they decide to take legal recourse, which may be a long-drawn process, then the ad-hoc body is the best way forward.”
“This body, comprising a BAI panel and some senior players from Karnataka, will conduct tournaments and select the state team (for the upcoming South Zone Inter-State and other events) so that players do not suffer from lack of competition or representation in big meets,” the BAI secretary added.
Karnataka players will play under BAI's name till the formation of the ad-hoc body or an early resolution to the KBA imbroglio, whichever is earlier.
"We know that the Karnataka contingent in most of the all-India tournaments, age group or otherwise, is among the largest in the country. We cannot allow the players to be adversely affected by the disaffiliation. They can directly apply to BAI through our website for participation in all-India ranking and international tournaments. We will clear them," he said.
Mishra also made it clear that the international tournament in Bengaluru — the Infosys Foundation India International Challenge in October — will not be affected by the disaffiliation. "It is a BAI event and will be held in Bengaluru as scheduled," he said.