Taipei: The 2020 Chinese Taipei Open which was scheduled to take place in Taipei from September 1st to September 16th, was the latest casualty on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar as it was canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
According to BWF’s revamped tournament calendar for the remainder of the 2020 season, it would resume playing with Chinese Taipei as the first tournament.
However, after a series of deliberations with BWF, the Chinese Taipei Badminton Association (CTBA) made a heartrending decision that cancelation of the tournament was the best decision as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Due to the coronavirus pandemic which has impacted a lot of industries, the Chinese Taipei Open was facing a shortage of funding. Not only that we had a severe reduction in corporate sponsorship, and because of the limited spectators allowed back into sporting events, that also affected the ticket sales,” said the secretary-general of CTBA, Lee Yu-long.
“In addition, increase in the salary of international referees and related expenses such as paying for quarantine and isolation also made the tournament much more expensive,” added Lee.
On Wednesday, BWF also announced the cancellation of Korea Open (08-13 September), the Victor China Open (15-20 September), and the Daihatsu Yonex Japan Open (22-27 September).
“These decisions to cancel tournaments are made in the best interest of the health of the players, spectators, volunteers, and Member Associations. We are deeply disappointed to have to cancel tournaments, but feel that the well-being of everyone involved is most important at this time,” said BWF secretary-general Thomas Lund in a statement.
“I would like to acknowledge the significant efforts made by our Member Associations in the regions throughout this process for their patience and commitment to the BWF. We share the disappointment of many around the world who were looking forward to the return of badminton and appreciate all of the continued support from our fans and partners as we continue to navigate the remainder of the 2020 season,” added Lund.
“We share the disappointment of many around the world who were looking forward to the return of badminton, and appreciate all of the continued support from our fans and partners as we continue to navigate the remainder of the 2020 season,” explained Lund.
