Jakarta. The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has withdrawn 16 players from the 2026 China Masters to prioritize preparations for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.

The China Masters, a BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament, is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen from Sept. 1-6.

PBSI Head of Development and Performance Eng Hian said the withdrawn players are on Indonesia’s Asian Games training list, prompting the association to adjust their competition schedules to optimize preparations for Asia’s biggest multi-sport event.

“They are on the Asian Games list, so we need to manage each player’s program to ensure their preparations are optimal, including time for recovery, training, and evaluation,” Eng Hian said on Monday.

The withdrawn players are Alwi Farhan in men’s singles and Putri Kusuma Wardani in women’s singles.

In men’s doubles, PBSI withdrew Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.

The women’s doubles players withdrawn are Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma, Meilysa Trias Puspitasari, Rachel Allessya Rose, Febi Setianingrum, Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi, Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, Isyana Syahira Meida, and Rinjani Kwinnara Nastine.

Mixed doubles players Amri Syahnawi, Nita Violina Marwah, Marwan Faza, and Aisyah Salsabila Putri were also pulled from the tournament.

Following the withdrawals, Indonesia will have seven players competing at the China Masters, including men’s singles world No. 1 Jonatan Christie and three men’s doubles pairs: Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin, and Ali Faathir Rayhan/Devin Artha Wahyudi.

Eng Hian said the decision to keep some players in the tournament was also based on their individual needs.

Some still need tournaments to maintain or improve their positions in the BWF world rankings, while competing at the China Masters could also help them maintain their match sharpness and competitive rhythm ahead of the Asian Games, he said.

The China Masters is one of the major badminton tournaments taking place shortly before the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The Asian Games will run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, with badminton competition beginning on Sept. 20.

That leaves players competing in Shenzhen with only about two weeks between the conclusion of the China Masters and the start of the Asian Games badminton competition.

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