The decision follows media reports of a specific Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist threat against the Championships.

 

 

Following those reports Badminton England felt the risk to the safety of the team, including 2004 Olympic silver medallist Nathan Robertson, which is made up of eight players, was one they could not take and have decided to leave India.

Adrian Christy, the chief executive of Badminton England, said: "This was an incredibly tough decision and one we didn't take lightly.

 

"After the Olympic Games, this is the most prestigious Championships in the world but we were not prepared to risk the safety of our players, coaches and staff in what we felt could have been a very volatile environment.

“We are extremely grateful for the speed in which the BWF (Badminton World Federation) and the organising committee reacted to the concerns following the threat.

 

"We have carefully considered the comments made by the local police authorities and we know that they have the best interest of all competitors in mind.

“We have also listened to the advice from the Foreign Office and British High Commission.

 

"We have been in constant dialogue with them over the past couple of days.

“The conclusion is that safety is of paramount importance and therefore, with great regret, the team will be returning home immediately."

 

Lashkar-e-Taiba - which is Urdu for Soldiers of the Pure - is a Pakistan-based organisation fighting against Indian control in Kashmir.

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

 

Most recently it was linked with the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November 2008, which killed at least 188 people.

 

England's decision will cast fresh fears over whether India will be able to stage the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi next year.

 

A number of teams, including Australia, New Zealand and Wales, have already expressed serious concerns about travelling to India for the event, which is due to start on October 3, 2010.

 

The Championships had only been moved to Hyderabad because the venue being built for the Commonwealth Games was not ready in time.

 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport issued a statement, which said that the decision to withdraw from the World Championships was "entirely Badminton England's".
 

It said: "They took this decision based on their own assessment of the situation on the ground, having taken into account the FCO travel advice warning of a high threat from terrorism in parts of India, including Hyderabad.

"The British High Commission had been in close contact with the Indian authorities which gave assurances that the highest level of security was in place around the Badminton World Championships. "

 

Earlier, the local Police Commissioner had tried to allay foreign teams fears about competing in the Championships by revealing that 1,000 police officials and commandos, including experts trained to deal with terror threats, have been assigned to the event.

 

Prabhakar Reddy said: "I'd like to dispel some of these rumours floating about.

 

"There is no specific input [of an attack].

 

"However, police are geared up to meet any eventuality."

 

India's Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram also claimed there was no specific threat to the event and federal officials had only sent a general alert to local police.

 

The BWF had hired security consultants to inspect the venue in February before giving the go-ahead for the Championships.

 

Chidambaram said: "There is no specific information that points to any imminent threat to the Championship.

 

"Nevertheless, the state police has taken all measures necessary to fully secure the tournament and ensure the safety of every player."

 

Security has been tightened across the nation to ward off any possible militant attacks leading up to India's Independence Day celebrations on August 15.

 

But none of this was enough to calm the fears of the English team.

Ian Moss, the England performance director, said: “It is a disappointing outcome, especially after we had enjoyed a very good preparation at our holding camp in Doha, Qatar, last week.

 

"Our athletes were extremely well prepared for these Championships but, at the end of the day, personal safety must take priority over performance.

 

"This was a unanimous squad decision and is not reflective of the efforts made by the organising committee to create the safest environment possible for all athletes.”