3 min readApr 27, 2026 06:56 PM IST
Chinese media reported that World No 1 Shi Yuqi had been struck by a case of acute gastroenteritis on Sunday night leading to his withdrawal from the Canada tie game against Victor Lai on Monday.
The Twitter account Zee @zhiyiilyy posted that CCTV reporter Zhang Hongda, Yuqi slated to play first singles on Monday morning was in no position to take to the court against Canada. “Around 8 am Shi Yuqi arrived at the venue with the Chinese team. However unusually he didn’t warm up. According to the referee, Shi Yuqi came to him clutching his stomach saying he had to withdraw due to illness,” the post stated.
Preliminary information, as per the report, indicated that Shi Yuqi suffered a “sudden attack of acute gastroenteritis last night.”
“After a nights sleep, his condition didn’t improve significantly.qnd he was extremely weak and completely unable to compete. He had taken antibiotics and returned to the hotel to rest immediately after submitting his withdrawal request,” it further said.
Hongda speculated that it might take at least three days for Yuqi, the world champion to recover. China play India to decide group toppers on Wednesday morning.
“At this stage, it’s not time for Shi Yuqi to rush his strength recovery and training; the focus should be on protecting his health. We know a clear symptom of gastroenteritis is diarrhoea and dehydration and normally it takes at least three days to recover bodily functions,” Hongda said.
Following his withdrawal, the CBA contacted head umpire and tournament referee. The referee stated they are currently in further communication with BWF and should issue a formal statement regarding the withdrawal. While BWF dutifully posted about the illness wishing him quick recovery, the floating timeline of his return puts a cloud over who the matchups would be for India on Wednesday.
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India defeated Australia 5-0, and China wrapped up the rest 4-1 with Weng Hong Yang playing third singles. There was also speculation on Chinese social media that Chan Wang, playing doubles might have hurt his lower back due to lack of warmup as they were told Liang-Wang would play the first match after reaching at 8 a.m. This could not be independently verified.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
