Last five badminton Olympic qualifying events called off

KUALA LUMPUR: The last five tournaments in the qualification period for the Tokyo Olympics have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Friday.

The rankings at the end of April decide which players will be at the Tokyo Games.

The BWF faced heavy criticism for continuing with the All England Open and subsequently suspended all tournaments until April 12 due to the spread of the flu-like virus.

The Croatian International, Peru International, European Championships, Asia Championships and Pan Am Individual Championships in Guatemala City were the latest April events to join the list of cancelled tournaments.

“All five tournaments were slated to be played within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifying period, but will no longer contribute to Olympic qualifying as they will now fall outside the qualification window,” the BWF said in a statement.

“BWF will make a further announcement on any implications related to the Olympic qualification period at a later date.”

Some badminton players had urged the sport’s ruling body to consider extending the qualification period for the Tokyo Games.