Beijing: China’s former World No. 2 and current World No. 17 Shi Yuqi is free to play at the 2022 World Championships which will be held in Tokyo, from August 22 to August 28 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Shi received a one-year suspension from the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) last October after making unsportsmanlike conduct to withdraw from a match between him and Kento Momota in a Thomas Cup semi-final tie between China and Japan when he was trailing 5-20 in the second game. To make the matter worst, he was engaged in arguments with fans who criticized him online, by posting some irresponsible and negative comments.
On Tuesday, CBA confirmed that Shi will soon come out of his suspension to play at the 2022 World Championships in Tokyo.
“The Chinese Badminton Association has criticized and disciplined Shi Yuqi for his misconduct during the suspension period. Shi Yuqi himself also carried out deep self-reflection and truly regretted his mistakes. He has been showing a strong desire to re-join the international tournaments and continue to win glory for the country by working very hard in training,” said CBA in an official statement.
“Taking into account that he had acknowledged his wrongdoing and shown commitment to improving his behavior, after a comprehensive evaluation by the CBA, we have decided to accept the invitation from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and have agreed to send Shi Yuqi to compete at the 2022 World Championships in Japan,” added CBA.
Meanwhile, the vice-president of the CBA and singles head coach for the Chinese national badminton team, said that Shi has been showing encouraging improvement during the suspension.
“During the suspension period, Shi Yuqi had displayed good training attitude, and has been very proactive to provide the feedback and the status of his training, and participated in the military camp organized by the Jiangsu badminton team. In the singles training camp held by the CBA, we paid close attention to physical training. To maintain a good competitive state for our players, we’ve conducted very intense 1-on-2 training. It’s clear that Shi has made an obvious improvement in his thinking and attitude,” said Xia.
“I hope he can learn something from this incident, cherish the opportunity to fight for the country, and be more cautious with his words and deeds going forward,” added Xia.
