Hong Kong Badminton Open called off following revamp of world tour due to Covid-19 pandemic

World chiefs decide to stage three tournaments in Denmark and three in Malaysia, confident they can create a ‘safe environment’

Hong Kong team will now decide whether to take part in events, saying ‘we won’t take the risk of sending our players if their safety cannot be ensured’

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Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk-yiu celebrates after defeating Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting in the men’s singles final at 2019 Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open at Hung Hom Coliseum. Photo: Kelly Ho

Published: 9:00am, 28 Aug 2020Updated: 9:00am, 28 Aug 2020

The Hong Kong Badminton Open, the flagship tournament scheduled for November 10-15, has been called off following a revamp of the event calendar due to the global pandemic.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced on Thursday there will only be six tournaments left this year in the 2020 HSBC World Tour, three in Europe and three in Asia, all to take place in Malaysia, according to its official website. The world body has already called off all tournaments in September.

As a result, Hong Kong’s up-and-coming Lee Cheuk-yiu will not be able to defend his men’s singles title at the Coliseum, where home fans cheered him to victory last year in the final against Anthony Ginting of Indonesia.

The Open joins a host of other events either postponed or cancelled in Hong Kong. This week has seen the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon postponed from it January date and the Oxfam Trailwalker pushed back until January.

Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan remains the women’s world number one since the suspension of the world tour in March. Photo: AP

Sports Institute head coach Tim He Yiming was not surprised by the cancellation as Covid-19 is still not under control.

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