Fast improving Lee Cheuk-yiu has become a key member of the team after winning the men’s singles at the 2019 Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open. Photo: SCMP
Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3095152/more-frustration-hong-kong-badminton-players-september-events Hong Kong
More frustration for Hong Kong badminton players as September events cancelled because of pandemic
- Hong Kong team have no choice but to continue training after BWF considers it too early to restart tournaments
- Governing body says safety comes first as world tour put on hold for the second time since March
Hong Kong number one Angus Ng Ka-long is still waiting to play in his first tournament since the All England Open in March. Photo: AFP
September was supposed to be a fresh beginning for competition-hungry players with four major tournaments scheduled in Asia but the world governing body said the wait will have to last longer.
The four tournaments, headed by the US$1.1 million China Open, was supposed to go ahead with hopes the coronavirus outbreak would have been contained, but the Badminton World Federation announced on Wednesday the cancellation of all four events as many countries continue to battle the deadly virus.
The BWF wanted to resume the world tour, which was abruptly stopped after the All England Open in March when the pandemic began to spread worldwide. The other September tournaments that have been scrapped are the Japan Open, a US$750,000 tournament, along with the Korea Open and the Taipei Open, which was supposed to restart the world tour in early September.
The world body said the events were scrapped due to safety concerns.
The Hong Kong team were expected to take part in the Taipei event, hoping Taiwanese authorities would not require athletes to be quarantine for 14 days as stated by their entry policy.
BREAKING: BWF announces cancellation of September tournaments.
"We are deeply disappointed to have to cancel tournaments, but feel the wellbeing of everyone involved is most important." - BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund#Badminton #HSBCBWFbadmintonhttps://t.co/gKppVNOFj9— BWF (@bwfmedia) July 29, 2020
“Since Taiwan is so near to us and the Taipei Open was supposed to be the first tournament after such a long break, we already entered all qualified players to the event,” said Hong Kong head coach Tim He Yiming. “Of course we have to make sure first there is no need for a quarantine but now it does not matter at all as all tournaments in September have been called off.
Mixed doubles player Tse Ying-suet has been denied the opportunity to defend her title at the Taipei Open after the world body called off all events in September. Photo: Chan Kin-wa
“There is little we can do now but continue our training at the Sports Institute without knowing when our next tournament will come. On the positive side, we have never trained so long without competition, so we have had plenty of time to correct our skills, heal our injuries and improve our physical condition, it’s still an opportunity we can treasure.”
According to the calendar, the next major tournaments will be held in Europe in October, with two Super 750 level events in Denmark and France. The Thomas and Uber Cup finals in Aarhus, Denmark in early October are also expected to be held before the Denmark Open in Odense. But Hong Kong did not qualify for both events after they couldn’t compete in the qualifiers at the Asia Team Championships in the Philippines in February because of quarantine requirements.
Head coach Tim He Yiming (right) is still not sure when the next tournament will be held. Photo: Handout
The head coach said he found it puzzling that players would be able to travel to Europe for the two tournaments in October.
“Both events are very important but it’s still too early to say if they will go ahead,” said He. “Even if they start the events, the safety of our players will always be our biggest priority and we will not put their health at risk. We have to see how the pandemic [situation] develops first.”
With the pandemic still prevailing, the Hong Kong Sports Institute will consider sending players overseas for training or competitions on a case by case basis.