Disgruntled Hidayat withdraws from All England

JAKARTA, Feb 27 (Reuters) Indonesia's Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat has withdrawn from next month's All England championships after falling out with his country's badminton association, state media reported today.

Hidayat said he did not agree with the association's decision to allow two men's double pairs to compete at the tournament despite the fact they had broken regulations.

''It's a shame because I have prepared well,'' he was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

The association banned the two pairs from taking part in Swiss Open after they played in an event held in Papua province in December without consent.

But Hidayat, twice an All England finalist and a former world champion, also wanted them to be barred from playing in Britain.

The talented 25-year-old, dubbed ''bad boy'' for his off-court antics and frequent disputes with his national association, has suffered a slump in form recently and crashed out of last month's Malaysian Open in the first round.

REUTERS PM KP1618