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

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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

Published: 4:19pm, 29 Jul 2020Updated: 10:50pm, 29 Jul 2020

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.

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

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.