Badminton team defends withdrawal

The England team has defended its decision to withdraw from the World Badminton Championships in India because of security concerns.

They denied claims they had "overreacted" to a terrorist threat, saying there had not been "appropriate levels of security".

Olympic silver medallist Nathan Robertson said he was "glad to be home in one piece".

He said they were travelling on a bus on back roads with no armed guards.

The eight-strong squad pulled out of the tournament, which starts on Monday in Hyderabad, following reports in an Indian newspaper of a threat from Muslim extremists Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Badminton Scotland said its players will stay, and Welsh Badminton has three players at the tournament.

Security expectations

The England squad arrived home on Sunday night, and players and officials then held a news conference at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes on Monday.

We were not particularly impressed with the level of security Adrian Christy, Badminton England

Their Indian hosts and Scottish colleagues have accused the English team of overreacting by pulling out of the sport's World Championships, the most prestigious competition after the Olympic Games.

But the chief executive of Badminton England, Adrian Christy, said they were disappointed with levels of security.

"I don't think we have overreacted," he said. "We were very clear with our expectations of security before the championships.

"We trained and prepared very hard in Qatar and went to Hyderabad with every intention of being met with appropriate levels of security considering recent attacks that had taken place in the country.

It wasn't a safe place for staff or players Nathan Robertson, England player

"We were not particularly impressed with the level of security we were faced with - both on our arrival and subsequent days as we began our preparation through practice in the arena. "

He apologised to the International Badminton Federation and the organising committee in India.

"The last thing England would want to do is let down our host or our international federation," he added.

"The decision doesn't affect how we feel about returning to India for the Commonwealth Games next year."

Easy access

Olympic champion Nathan Robertson said there had been a direct threat to the championships and players, and it was not a difficult decision to make.

"(It was) certainly not an overreaction to come home," he said. "It wasn't a safe place for staff or players."

I don't necessarily think they've made the right decision. I think perhaps they have overreacted Anne Smillie, Badminton Scotland

He said reports were saying the attack could possibly be along the same lines as that on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Pakistan in March. Militants attacked the squad's bus, killing six policemen and one driver.

The team's coach, Andy Wood, said basic security measures at the stadium and hotel were not in place.

"Just things like access to the main stadium, there was no accreditation required on the first day," he said.

"You could get into the building relatively easily."

But Anne Smillie, chief executive of Badminton Scotland, said her players and the team manager were "confident that security is at its best".

"I don't necessarily think they've made the right decision. I think perhaps they have overreacted," she said.

The "unanimous" decision by the England team to fly home was reached after liaising with police about the threat, reportedly made by Muslim extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

It is a Pakistan-based organisation fighting against Indian control in Kashmir.

It has been blamed for several terrorist incidents in India including the October 2005 bomb attacks in Delhi, which saw 60 people killed, and is alleged to have played a part in the armed raid on the Indian parliament in December 2001.

The group was also linked with the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November 2008, which killed at least 188 people.

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