The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced on Thursday that it was calling off training camps ahead off this month's Thomas and Uber Cup qualifiers due to a shortage of quality feather shuttlecocks.

It sent home over 30 players, after blaming the state-run Sports Authority of India (SAI) for not supplying the stock and stopping the federation from importing.

The qualifiers are due to be staged in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from Feb 19-24.

India, who qualified for the Thomas Cup Finals last time, are in Group C with Japan and Pakistan.

Three months ago, India's agriculture ministry barred the import of feathers because of the bird flu menace in Asia.

Top shuttlecocks are made with goose feathers, which are derived mostly from China and Taiwan.

Since then, the association has been unable to buy feather shuttlecocks, said BAI president V.K.Verma.

'It is a very lackadaisical attitude,' he said. 'They're supposed to provide shuttlecocks, but are doing the game a great disfavour.

'We can't have our 30 best shuttlers, juniors and seniors, twiddling their thumbs with only five tournaments left to qualify for the Olympics.'

Manufacturers had offered to ship chemically-treated shuttlecocks that passed a bird flu inspection by Hong Kong authorities, but the Indian government has yet to lift the ban.

Verma said the state agency had not even done the initial paperwork on a request forwarded six weeks ago.

The shuttlecock shortage could also affect the Indian Open, which is scheduled for April 1-6 in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS