Badminton team's World Championships withdrawl 'was no over-reaction'

England badminton officials have defended their controversial decision to withdraw their team from the World Championships in India.

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy denied they over-reacted after dropping out of the Hyderabad tournament following reports in an Indian newspaper of a terrorist threat.

He told a press conference at the National Badminton Centre: "Of course we apologise to the federation and the organising committee in India.

"The last thing England would want to do is let down our host or our international federation.

"The decision doesn't affect how we feel about returning to India for the Commonwealth Games next year."

Badminton Scotland chief executive Anne Smillie has said the team would have to live with the knowledge they had pulled out of a major world event, after their own players and Welsh counterparts decided to stay in India.

However Mr Christy said security levels surrounding the tournament were not of a high enough standard, with players adding they did not feel safe.

He said: "We were very clear of our expectations of security before the championships. We in no way over-reacted. It was the right thing to do."

Mr Christy added that the Foreign Office supported their decision "100 per cent".