Why Lakshya Sen's match vs Kevin Cordon was 'deleted' and how does it affect his chances at Paris Olympics?

Lakshya Sen has a piece of unfortunate news as his match against Kevin Cordon in the group stage of the men's singles has been 'deleted' at the Paris Olympics 2024. As the Guatemala player withdrew himself from the event due to an injury, the Indian shuttler will have to bear the consequences. The rule surprised and resulted in anger among Indian fans.

Sen did well on his Olympics debut by beating Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in straight sets. The veteran performed well in the second set but couldn't beat the Indian talent. During the match, Cordon suffered an injury on his left elbow. According to the rules of the BWF, in case of injuries, illness, or disqualification, all of the player's matches would be deleted.

"If illness, injury, disqualification, or other unavoidable hindrance prevents a Player/pair from completing all the group matches, all the results of that Player/pair shall be deleted. Retiring during a match shall be considered to be not completing all group matches," claim the rules. Hence, Lakshya currently has no wins to his name and will start fresh in Group L.

Also Check: Paris 2024 Olympic Medal Table - Gold, Silver & Bronze

How does the injury affect Lakshya Sen's campaign?

The schedule of Group L has been updated following the exit of the semifinalist of the Tokyo Olympics. Having claimed a win against Kevin, Sen was riding on great confidence. But he will be under pressure while facing Jonathan Christie of Indonesia. Julien Carraggi had taken Christie to the limit in the first match. The Indian badminton star must give a similar performance.

A win against Christie would give him a great world of confidence. However, a loss could potentially end his chances in the tournament. The fans felt that the rules needed a modification underlining how an unforeseen circumstance can affect the chances of other players who might not have anything to do with the illness or injuries of other players.