Kuala Lumpur: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday announced the postponement of the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup.
The Thomas and Uber Cup was slated to be held in Aarhus, Denmark from October 3-11, but after consultation and agreement with host Denmark, it was decided to postpone the tournament.
Over the past few days, some teams also withdrew themselves from the competition, citing health concerns and this has also played a role in postponing the tournament.
“The decision comes following the withdrawal of a number of participating teams from the TOTAL BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals and the European leg of the adjusted HSBC BWF World Tour,” the BWF said in an official release.
“BWF, in collaboration with Badminton Denmark, has for many months been preparing for a safe return to international badminton.
This includes going to extreme lengths to preserve the health and safety of all participants such as implementing a bubble system to create a safe badminton ecosystem,” it added.
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday had also raised safety concerns over conducting the Thomas and Uber Cup in Denmark amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Taking to Twitter Nehwal had written: “7 countries have withdrawn from tournament cause of the pandemic…Is it safe enough to conduct this tournament during this time ??… (Thomas and Uber Cup 2020) #coronavirus.”
BWF is, however, looking into possible alternative dates to reschedule the World Men’s and Women’s Team Championships but on dates not before 2021.
The apex badminton body has also announced that the DANISA Denmark Open 2020 in Odense, an HSBC BWF World Tour Event, will proceed as originally planned in the BWF Tournament Calendar (13-18 October).
The event will also be used as an opportunity to implement relevant COVID-19 safety protocols and operating procedures for the planned restart of international badminton tournaments.
However, the Denmark Masters tournament has been cancelled as it was no longer feasible to conduct this event.
“The second tournament scheduled for Odense – the VICTOR Denmark Masters 2020 – slated for 20-25 October has been cancelled as it is no longer feasible to conduct this additional event,” the BWF said in an official release. (ANI)
