Badminton World Junior Championship was previously scheduled to be held from September in Auckland, but because of a disrupted international calendar now, it is rescheduled to January next year.
The Badminton World Federation confirmed, that the World Junior Championship will now be commenced during next year from January 18 to 24. With BWF scheduling the event from January 11 to 16, it will now be preceded by the World Junior Mixed Team Championships.
In a Press Release BWF said, “There are few dates for the BWF World Junior Championships 2020, which were scheduled yo be held in Auckland, New Zealand in September this year.”
“The rescheduled dates for the world events are 11-24 January 2021. Only those athletes eligible for the originally scheduled championships are allowed to enter. The new time frame gives the BWF, Badminton New Zealand, and tournament organizers the best chance to stage a successful event for a large volume of junior players expected to travel to Auckland.” the statement added.
Thomas Lund, BWF secretary-general said considering how things are currently placed due to the coronavirus outbreak, it was the “best opinion” which has so far claimed more than 3.5 lakh lives worldwide.
Thomas said, “With all things considered, we believe the move is the best option in order to avoid any possible complexities linked to travel and other lingering COVID-19 related impacts.
“We look forward to working with Badminton New Zealand to put on a great show in Auckland.” he added.
Joe Hitchcock, Badminton New Zealand Chief Executive it still confident that supporters and players will have an unforgettable experience even when they eventually take place.
“At the moment, the uncertainty of the global situation is challenging but we will work closely with the BWF and our event partners on plans for a rescheduled event. And we fully understand that we are guided by New Zealand government regulations and international border control measures.” Hitchcock said.
“When the time is right, we will welcome the world’s best young badminton talent to Auckland because we know that teams traveling to New Zealand will have the experience of a lifetime, and the event will leave a lasting positive legacy,” he added.
Saina Nehwal, the London Olympic Bronze medallist is the only Indian to be crowned the World Junior Champion in Pune in 2008.
In boy’s category, Siril Verma had claimed the silver in 2015, whereas Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy in 2010 won Bronze medals, and Lakshay Sen won Bronze in the 2018 edition in Canada.
RMV Gurusaidutt and Sameer Verma also bagged the bronze in 2008 and 2011 editions respectively.
Recently BWF has announced a revised international calendar for the remainder of the 2020 season and with this, it has also extended the qualification period to next year for Tokyo Olympics.
