Neeraj Chopra: Participating in National Games is a "bit risky" after just recovering from a groin injury

Digital Desk: Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra suggested he could forego the event despite a directive from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) requiring only "elite athletes" to participate, claiming it would be "a bit risky" to compete after "just recovering from a groin ailment."

Chopra revealed a day after winning the Diamond League Finals in Zurich, "The intention was that Zurich would be the last competition." The date for the National Games has unexpectedly been set. I spoke with the coach, who advised me to relax. I just got over a groyne injury. There was a plan to take a vacation; my family and friends are staying with me for about a week. I will be unable to train. As a result, this will be quite dangerous. I'd like to start thinking about next year."

Chopra isn't the only elite athlete contemplating a withdrawal of the National Games, which will be hosted in six locations throughout Gujarat from September 29 to October 12. Shuttlers PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Kidambi Srikanth are also unlikely to compete.

Sindhu and Srikanth will be in peak condition as they prepare for the Denmark Open, which begins on October 18, and the French Open, which begins on October 25. Ranking points in these two events are critical, especially for Sindhu, who has made the year-ending World Tour Finals, with a USD 15,00,000 tournament prize money, a key competition.

Lakshya Sen is ninth and needs to play in Europe to make the cut, while Sindhu is presently second in the Race to Guangzhou rankings. Srikanth is now in 12th place and has been limited in his performance since the Commonwealth Games due to an ailment. He stated on Thursday that returning to the court over competing in the National Games is his top goal.

"I am speaking for Andhra Pradesh. I am still deciding what to do about the individual event because I am now injured and the state doesn't have a participation in the team event. So the first priority is to return to court, said Srikanth.

Nearly a dozen Indian badminton players have chosen to withdraw from this month's Vietnam Open in order to be eligible for the home competition, while the best athletes are prioritising recovery after a demanding season or aiming for ranking points instead of competing in the National Games.

The Vietnam Open, a BWF Super 100 competition with $75,000 in total prize money and ranking points, will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from September 27 to October 2. The National Games' badminton competition will take place in Surat from October 1 to October 6.

Since the dates overlapped, the shuttlers had to choose between the two events. In all five divisions—and men's women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles—Indian players were represented in the draw. On Monday, September 5, the final day for competitors to withdraw their participation, authorities claimed that about a dozen shuttlers had chosen to forgo participating in the competition.

In a letter dated September 6, the IOA requested that "all qualified eminent athletes" participate in the Games. Eminent athletes are those who have competed or won medals in international tournaments.

Among the top names in the Vietnam Open draw are Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, B Sai Praneeth, Subhankar Dey, Kiran George, and recently-crowned junior World No. 1 Anupama Upadhyaya. 

While Nehwal and Kashyap are expected to compete in Vietnam, it has been learned that second seed Praneeth, Dey, George, Upadhyaya, and Mithun Manjunath are among the players who have decided to withdraw from the competition.