China Open among four events cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic

The BWF also said in a statement the Taiwan Open (Sept. 1-6), Korea Open (Sept. 8-13) and Japan Open (Sept. 22-27) had also been cancelled.

This year’s China Open, scheduled to run from Sept. 15-20 in Changzhou, has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said.

(FILES) This file photo taken on November 8, 2019 shows Kento Momota of Japan hitting a return against Viktor Axelsen of Denmark during their men's singles quarter-final match at the Fuzhou China Open badminton tournament in Fuzhou in China's eastern Fujian province. (AFP)

The BWF also said in a statement the Taiwan Open (Sept. 1-6), Korea Open (Sept. 8-13) and Japan Open (Sept. 22-27) had also been cancelled.

The China Open was one of three BWF Super-1000 category events scheduled during the year. The All England Open was held in Birmingham in March but the Indonesia Open, which had been scheduled for June 16-21 in Jakarta, was cancelled.

“We are deeply disappointed to have to cancel tournaments, but feel that the well-being of everyone involved is most important at this time,” BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund said.

“We share the disappointment of many around the world who were looking forward to the return of badminton and appreciate all of the continued support from our fans and partners as we continue to navigate the remainder of the 2020 season.”

The BWF had cancelled the China Masters and Dutch Open earlier this month. The season-ending World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China, is still on the calendar and will conclude on Dec. 20.