The federation sent home over 30 players due to start training on Thursday, blaming the state-run Sports Authority of India (SAI) for not supplying the stock or allowing them to import.

The qualifiers are due to be staged in Vietnamese capital Ho Chi Minh from Feb. 19-24. India, who qualified for the Thomas Cup finals last time, are in Group C with Japan and Pakistan.

"It is a very lackadaisical attitude," Badminton Association of India (BAI) president V.K.Verma said on Thursday. "They're supposed to provide shuttles, 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."

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