In a huge embarrassment to India and its deteriorating standard for women’s safety, Swiss number one squash player, Ambre Allinckx, has refused to travel to India for safety reasons.

While the Swiss contingent arrived to take part in the 2018 World Junior Squash Championships, currently underway in Chennai, the Swiss contingent had its top ranked player missing. As many as 28 countries are taking in the championship, that started on 17 July.

This comes just days after a report said that India was the most unsafe place for women across the world. According to a poll by Thomson Reuters Foundation published last month. India was declared the most dangerous country in the world for women, even worse than the war-torn Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia.

Meanwhile, a report the New Indian Express said that Allinckx’s parents did not want her to come to India after reading reports about the number of crimes against women in the country. The paper quoted Pascal Bhurin, the Swiss coach, as saying, “Ambre Allinckx is our top-ranked women’s player. She couldn’t make it because her parents did not want.”

He added, “They have been reading reports on the internet about how unsafe India is for women and didn’t want to take the risk of sending their daughter over. However, we have not experienced any disturbance so far.”

If that was not embarrassing enough, teams from the US, Australia and Iran too have been advised to dress conservatively. Their fear largely emanates from the recent incident of gang-rape in Chennai, where 17 men were arrested for raping a differently-abled 11-year-old girl for six months inside her flat.

On Saturday, Janta Ka Reporter 40 men for four days inside a government guesthad reported another horrific crime against a woman, who was gang-raped by house in Haryana. The cops had refused to register her complaint, when she was finally able to escape the clutches of her tormentors.

The men, mostly the security guards and and other maintenance staff of the housing society would often rape the girl and film their gruesome act.

Andrew Shelley, the Chief Executive of the World Squash Federation (WSF), was quoted as saying, “Of course the views and choice of every parent must be fully respected. However, there are over 250 players and officials from 28 countries, including a full squad from Switzerland.”

“Like the WSF, they all have complete confidence with the security arrangements made by Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association at the Championship Hotel and playing venues to ensure the safety of the players at this event,” Shelley added.