BWF postpones Thomas and Uber Cup to 2021 after multiple withdrawals

WhatsApp Image 2020 09 14 at 12.06.32 PM

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday postponed this year’s Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Denmark after the withdrawal of numerous teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Finals were scheduled in May but were first suspended to August due to the dreadful outbreak before being shifted to October 3-11 when the government extended its prohibition on a large number of gatherings.

South Korea and Indonesia pulled out of the biennial championship on Saturday, following Australia, Taiwan and Thailand.

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“The BWF, in full consultation and agreement with localhost Badminton Denmark, has made the tough decision to postpone the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2020,” the BWF said in a statement.

“The decision comes following the withdrawal of a number of participating teams from the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals and the European leg of the adjusted BWF World Tour.

“These are exceptional circumstances we find ourselves in and while a return to international badminton remains a priority for the BWF, the health and safety of the entire badminton community is of utmost importance.”

No longer feasible to conduct additional event

The sport’s governing body said that it was looking at apparent alternative dates to reschedule the team championships but not before 2021.

The federation added that it cancelled the tournament because ‘it is no longer feasible’ to conduct the additional tournament, as for the Denmark Masters 2020.

“A study into the continued feasibility of the planned Asian leg of the adjusted HSBC BWF World Tour (three HSBC BWF World Tour tournaments hosted in an Asian location) is being conducted and BWF will make further announcements as soon as details are clarified,” the statement concluded.

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