Tokyo 2020 Olympic badminton qualifier postponed after Covid-19 shuts Delhi

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<strong>In an emergency discussion held with Badminton World Federation (BWF), the Badminton Association of India (BAI) today decided to postpone the upcoming Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2021 in the wake of sudden rise in the Covid-19 cases in New Delhi as well as sudden announcement of the lockdown in the city.</strong></div>
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The tournament was scheduled to be held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi from May 11-16. However, with the recent record surge in Covid cases and uncertainty around the pandemic as well as the lockdown being in effect from Monday midnight, BAI is left with no option but to call off the tournament.</div>
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“Considering the current challenges, BAI is left with no option but to announce the postponement of the tournament for the time being. We had an entry of 228 players and close to 300 peoples’ gathering including coaches, support staff and officials and the circumstances are such that Yonex-Sunrise India Open, 2021 edition seems for now a very risky affair. Several rounds of discussions were held with BWF as well as the Delhi government and other stakeholders and accessing the safety of players and officials BAI needed to take this decision,” said Badminton Association of India (BAI) General Secretary Ajay Singhania.</div>
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The BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament was classified as one of the last few qualification tournaments for the Tokyo Olympics and had attracted top players including Kenta Momota and Viktor Axelsen and several other Top-10 players along with representation from 33 countries. The 2021 edition was already scheduled to be held in a bio secure bubble with no spectators and media.</div>