Japanese star shuttler Kento Momota tests COVID-19 positive

"The entire Japanese team was due to fly out to Bangkok, Thailand for the badminton tournaments on the evening of January 3," BWF said. The governing body said that it will "will invite replacement players and pairs for both tournaments from the list of reserves already scheduled to arrive into the 'Asian Leg Bubble' in Bangkok on or before 4 January and with a Certificate of Entry into Thailand." The Asia leg events will lose a lot of sheen with national teams from Japan and China both withdrawing from the tournaments, the first in Asia since the COVID-19 shutdown last March. China had pulled out due to restrictions imposed in view of the pandemic.