Kuala Lumpur: The 2021 German Open which was scheduled to be held in Mulheim, Germany, from March 9, 2021, to March 14, 2021, has been canceled by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on international badminton.
BWF posted the announcement below on its website on Thursday:
“The YONEX German Open 2021 to be staged in Mülheim an der Ruhr from 9-14 March 2021 has been canceled.
The German Badminton Association made the decision in consultation and agreement with the Badminton World Federation.
The ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and complications left local organizers no choice but to cancel the tournament.
The YONEX German Open is a Super 300 tournament on the HSBC BWF World Tour.”
The President of German Badminton Association also expressed regret over the cancellation of the event.
“We have examined various scenarios with regard to the feasibility of the tournament, in order to have a comprehensive risk-analysis, which includes financial concerns, as well as a number of other aspects. Ultimately, we were forced to accept that a cancellation of the YONEX German Open 2021 is the only option”, explained Thomas Born, President of the German Badminton Association.
“Making this decision was extremely tough for us, however, the financial consequences, resulting from the current adverse conditions, are too great for us to bear,” continued Thomas Born.
On Wednesday, Germany’s federal government and state leaders have extended the nationwide shutdown until March 7, beyond the previous February 14 deadline.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she and state leaders would convene again on March 3 to fine-tune the restrictions based on the latest data.
