Parents clarify security wasn’t the reason

Chennai, July 22 

The parents of Switzerland's squash player Ambre Allinckx, who reportedly pulled out from the ongoing WSF-World Junior Squash Championship here owing to safety concerns, have said “they were never concerned about safety in India”.  The Swiss girl came under fire after a media report claimed that she had pulled out of the tournament owing to safety concerns in India. 

According to a press release sent by the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI), Ambre's parents, Igor and Valerie, told a leading squash website that “we, as parent, never were concerned about safety in India. This is a lie or a journalist invention”.  “We wanted to have summer holidays as a family and due to the father's (Igor) work, this has to take place in July. So nothing in our decision was about safety. Ambre has already travelled to Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Poland, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Mexico etc and we never considered India as a place more dangerous than these. Again, this is speculation, or invention,” they wrote. 

The parents said they would be delighted to visit India on another occasion. “We would be delighted to visit India at another occasion. But right now she is shocked that so many people show hate to her. Please stop this!”  

Earlier, the World Squash Federation CEO Andrew Shelley had said that he had complete confidence in the security arrangements made by Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association to ensure the safety of the players at this event. —PTI