Badminton

Denmark Open to be model for Covid-era badminton

THE Badminton World Federation (BWF) should come up with a full report on the recent Denmark Open to inform member associations on the best way to move forward.

BA of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh believes the World Tour Super 750 event should be the yardstick ahead of future tournaments, including the Asian leg in Bangkok in January.

Speaking to Timesport yesterday, Kenny said: "Now that the Denmark Open is over, BWF should inform all member associations as soon as possible on how the tournament was organised.

"What were the strict SOPs implemented, and would they be the new norm?

"As of now, the biggest problem with Covid-19 is nobody has a clear understanding of it."

Following the suspension of the World Tour calendar in March, the Denmark Open in Odense marked the resumption of international badminton.

However, unlike previous editions, many top players, including World No 1 Kenta Momota, skipped the tournament due to Covid-19 related concerns.

Countries like Malaysia and Indonesia also opted out after the postponement of the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals (originally scheduled on Oct 3-11) due to poor participation.

It is understood that most players are looking forward to starting on a clean slate next year.

"We can't predict anything right now. But it will be good if we can obtain more information from the BWF.

"We are monitoring the situation closely. Our numbers (positive cases) have also been rising, so we will make decisions accordingly."

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