THE Covid-19 outbreak seems to be getting out of control but the oldest badminton tournament in the world, the All England, will go on as scheduled in Birmingham next week.
Following the postponement of several tournaments this season due to Covid-19, the All England on March 11-15 will be the first World Tour Super 1000 event which counts towards qualification for the Tokyo Olympics in July.
In a statement released by Badminton England yesterday, chief executive Adrian Christy said Badminton England is continuing to monitor the ongoing situation regarding the Covid-19.
“But based on up-to-date government advice and the publication of the government’s Coronavirus Action Plan, we will be going ahead with the All England Open at Arena Birmingham on March 11-15 as planned.
“We will also continue to implement a number of measures to minimise the potential risk of the virus on players, officials, volunteers and fans attending the event,” he said.
As the number of Covid-19 cases surged past the 50 mark in England on Tuesday, the National Health Service declared coronavirus a level four incident — the highest level of emergency preparedness planning.
There have also been talks of sporting events being put on hold across England.
Christy, however, added that the interests of all stakeholders were of the highest priority to the hosts.
“The health and wellbeing of those joining us for the championships in Birmingham continues to be our primary concern but we look forward to what promises to be a fantastic five days of international badminton at Arena Birmingham.”