SINGAPORE: Badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew has withdrawn from this week’s Swiss Open after testing positive for COVID-19.

“Been down with COVID over the past few days, which is why I had to withdraw from Swiss Open. My symptoms have been mild and I’m monitoring my conditions closely,” Loh wrote on his social media accounts on Wednesday (Mar 23).

“Will be using the downtime to unwind and I hope I am able to resume training soon to prepare for the upcoming tournament marathon in the next few months,” added the 24-year-old.

Responding to queries from the media, the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) said Loh, who made history in December by becoming the first Singaporean to win a Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships title, had tested positive at last week’s All England Open in Birmingham.

“Therefore, he is not well enough to compete in Switzerland and cannot fly until testing negative,” said an SBA spokesperson.

“His symptoms have been mild and he is able to go on as normal in the UK,” the spokesperson added, noting it was “essentially a waiting game” before Loh could return to Singapore.

Loh was eliminated in the first round of the All-England Open on Mar 16 after losing to Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the men’s singles.