Thursday, 21 Nov 2024

News | BWF Olympics

Following the recent announcement by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) about the suspension of all HSBC BWF World Tour and other BWF-sanctioned tournaments, there have been further cancellations and postponements. These changes affect the three Continental Confederation championships that were scheduled for week 17 on the BWF Tournament Calendar. These championships served as one of the last opportunities for athletes to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games before the April 26 deadline.

Suspended Tournaments

  • VICTOR Croatian International 2020 (16-19 April)
  • Peru International 2020 (16-19 April)
  • 2020 European Championships (21-26 April)
  • Badminton Asia Championships 2020 (21-26 April)
  • XXIV Pan Am Individual Championships 2020 (23-26 April)

The decision to suspend these tournaments was made in consultation with the Continental Confederations and Host Member Associations, with the well-being and safety of all participants being the top priority. The global escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak, along with travel and quarantine restrictions, as well as logistical complications, contributed to these suspensions.

Badminton Europe and the Ukrainian Badminton Federation were forced to postpone their flagship tournament in Kyiv, Ukraine. Similarly, Badminton Asia had to suspend its tournament in Manila, Philippines. This tournament had already been relocated from Wuhan, China to Manila due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Badminton Pan Am also decided to cancel the XXIV Pan Am Individual Championships 2020 in Peru due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. Originally, the tournament was planned to be held in Guatemala City.

Tham Khảo Thêm:  BWF Scholarship Programme: A Gateway to Education for Dual-Career Athletes

It’s worth noting that these five tournaments were scheduled within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifying period. However, they will no longer contribute to Olympic qualifying as they fall outside the revised qualification window.

The BWF will provide further updates on any implications related to the Olympic qualification period at a later date.

Additionally, some international Para badminton tournaments have also been suspended.

Suspended Para Badminton Tournaments

  • African Para Badminton Championships 2020 (20-19 April)
  • Uganda Para Badminton International 2020 (27 April – 03 March)

The decision to suspend these tournaments, along with all Para badminton development activities, was made with the participants’ health, safety, and well-being in mind during these extraordinary times.