BWF players braced for hectic schedule as world badminton plans September return
- Hong Kong No 1 Angus Ng says he needs to increase his fitness to cope with schedule
- World’s top 15 players must attend 12 key tournaments and Ng has played three so far due to pandemic
Shuttler Angus Ng Ka-long said he would need “superman fitness” to cope with the revamped world tour calendar for the remainder of 2020 following disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The world governing body released the new tournament schedule over the weekend, which sees an average of four major tournaments each month from September until the world tour ends, with the finals in Guangzhou in mid-December.
“I doubt very much if any player can have the stamina to take part in all these tournaments – so hectic,” said Hong Kong No 1 Ng, who is ranked eighth in the world. “Physically you have to be very strong but mentally it also gives the player a lot of pressure playing major events week after week, not to mention the flying time from one region to another and the possible jet lag.
“We have to study the new schedule carefully and approach it with great strategies, but sometimes there is little room for manoeuvre as we must fulfil the number of tournaments required by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).”
The rules require all top 15 players to attend at least 12 Super 500 level tournaments a year and Ng has so far only taken part in three due to the pandemic.