Manila hosting of Badminton tourney pushed back due to COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — The Badminton Asia Championships 2020 has been suspended by the sports' governing body due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The tournament, which was initially scheduled to take place in Wuhan, China but was moved to Manila, Philippines, was supposed to take place from April 21 to 26.

However, the rapid spread of the virus has forced the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to suspended all of its remaining tournaments for the next two months.

Manila had already played hosts to the 2020 Badminton Asia Team Championships last February, which led to the hosting of the singles Asian Championships.

"The health, safety, and well-being of all athletes, their entourage, officials and the greater badminton community remain as the top priority," the BWF said.

Apart from the Asia Championships, the Thomas and Uber Cup, the European Championships, Pan Am Individual Championships, Croatian International, and Peru International were all also postponed.

The aforementioned tournaments are all pivotal meets for badminton players aiming to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.