KUALA LUMPUR: The national shuttlers campaign at the French Open is unfolding against a backdrop of unrest, with the BA of Malaysia (BAM) contacting the Malaysian embassy in Paris as violent protests grip the French capital.
With the Super 750 tournament scheduled to begin tomorrow, BAM secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh confirmed that the association had supplied the embassy with the names of its players and coaches in France, seeking assistance should the situation take a turn for the worse.
"We have written to our embassy in Paris and informed them of the names of the players and coaches involved in this tournament," said Kenny.
"We hope the embassy can assist if anything happens."
The tournament is scheduled to run until Sunday at the Arena Grand Paris in Tremblay-en-France, north-east of Paris, but the unrest has added an uncertain backdrop to Malaysia's campaign.
For now, however, there is no sign of a change to the tournament schedule, with Kenny confirming that no Malaysian players had withdrawn.
"For now, there are no withdrawals. The tournament has not been cancelled either," he said.
The situation follows a turbulent weekend in France, where demonstrations over rising living costs and poor conditions in schools drew hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.
About 110,000 people joined Saturday's protests in Paris, according to the French Interior Ministry, as anger spilled onto the streets of the capital.
Police reported 855 arrests across the Paris region following the unrest.
Nationwide, the ministry estimated that about 550,000 people took part in the demonstrations, while organisers put the turnout at 800,000.
By Sunday, the nationwide arrest tally had reached 2,400, while nearly 1,000 police officers had been injured.
With the French Open still scheduled to proceed, Malaysia's shuttlers are preparing to compete while BAM remains in contact with the embassy should assistance be required.
Among those competing are newly crowned Denmark Open champions Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Leong Jun Hao.
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