Badminton Asia Technical Committee chairman Chih Shen Chen has apologised to two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu for the “human error” committed by the referee during the women’s singles semi-final match of the Badminton Asia Championships in April.

Sindhu had been left in tears after an “unfair” call by the umpires midway through her semi-final match against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi saw her go down in three games and eventually sign off with a bronze medal, her second in the continental championship.