Badminton: Singapore Open cancelled as organisers cite 'challenges' owing to COVID-19

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Open badminton tournament will be cancelled, it was announced by organisers Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Wednesday (May 12).

The tournament, which was due to be held from Jun 1 to 6, will not be rescheduled.

In a joint statement, the SBA and BWF said that the decision was made on the grounds of health and safety. 

"All attempts were made by the organisers and BWF to provide a safe tournament environment for all participants," said SBA and BWF.

"However, rising COVID-19 cases globally led to complex challenges in managing inbound travel. Thus, in the interests of all players, tournament personnel and the local community’s health and safety, the event has been cancelled."

The Singapore Open, a Super 500 event, was slated to be the final event where Olympic hopefuls could earn points in the Race to Tokyo rankings - a system that decides who qualifies for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which begins on Jul 23. 

The Race to Tokyo period will end on Jun 15.

BWF will issue a further statement related to Olympic qualifying at a later date, the joint statement said.

Last year's edition of the Singapore Open was also cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The latest announcement by the SBA and BWF follows the postponement of the Malaysian Open which had been scheduled for May 25 to May 30. The tournament had been postponed due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, organisers said on May 7.

READ: Badminton: Malaysia Open postponed due to surge in COVID-19 cases

Earlier this month, the Singapore Government had announced tighter measures for about three weeks from May 8 to curb the spread of infection amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in the community.

Among the measures is a 21-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities for travellers with recent travel history to higher risk countries and regions. These higher risk countries and regions refer to all places except Australia, Brunei, Mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

In April, Singapore had also announced that all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to India within the last 14 days will not be allowed entry into Singapore. This includes visitors who transit in India, and all who had obtained prior approval for entry into the country.

"While it's sad that Singapore Open has to be cancelled, COVID-19 is something that we cannot really control at this point. This is in the best interest of everyone, especially since Singapore has been doing well to control the virus," said Singapore's top men's shuttler Loh Kean Yew, who had been slated to compete in the tournament. 

As things stand, Loh is likely to make the Olympics cut.

"I was hoping to get some court time ahead of (the) Olympics and play with the other players, especially since all the top players were supposed to come, and see where I currently stand against them, but I think safety stands as priority."

He added: "It's frustrating but I think we can only continue to work with our coaches to fine tune and improve, and be prepared for what's coming next."