No shuttlecocks! India cancel national camp

India have scrapped a training camp for this month's Thomas and Uber Cup qualifiers because of a lack of shuttlecocks, badminton officials said yesterday.

The federation sent home over 30 players due to start training yesterday, blaming the state-run Sports Authority of India (SAI) for not supplying the stock or allowing them to import.

The qualifiers are due to be staged in Vietnamese capital Ho Chi Minh from Feb. 19-24. India, who qualified for the Thomas Cup finals last time, are in Group C with Japan and Pakistan.

"It is a very lackadaisical attitude," Badminton Association of India president V.K. Verma said. "They're supposed to provide shuttles, but are doing the game a great disfavour."

The SAI chief Ratan Watal told the Times of India that supplies would be made soon and that bird flu in China were hindering imports.