sports desk/

Two Bangladeshi players Sonam Sultana Soma and Sadia Rahman Maur were supposed to play in the table tennis doubles event at the Commonwealth Games. But both have toured London instead of playing in Birmingham on August 5. The two players have been banned by the Table Tennis Federation for traveling. These two athletes will not be able to participate in international and domestic competitions.

General Secretary of Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation Jahangir Alam said, ‘On August 5 we had a double event game. The two of them were out of the Games Village without playing that day. Due to this, the match was a walkover. Bangladesh has been dishonored in the international arena. For this, the executive committee unanimously decided to ban those two players at the international and domestic levels.

Sonam denied such allegations, ‘We were in the Games Village. I did not visit anywhere else. We also have all the proofs of staying in the village. Still, I don’t know why the federation took such a decision. Apart from that I have not received any letter regarding such decision. But I am ready to respond if I receive a letter.’