Badminton

BAM brace for worst case scenario

The virus may end up beating out the Malaysia Masters and Malaysia Open.

The two postponed tournaments face cancellation this year.

Yesterday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed the scrapping of three more tournaments: the Korea Open (Aug 31-Sept 5), Macau Open (Nov 2-7), and Korea Masters.

The three events were initially on the postponed list.

BWF said the cancellations were due to Covid-19-related challenges.

BAM are still hoping to stage the Super 500 Malaysia Masters and Super 750 Malaysia Open this year, but with the pandemic, it may not be feasible.

BAM secretary general Datuk Kenny Goh said: "We are still waiting for BWF to allocate us a window, but it looks tough as the Covid-19 situation in the country is still worrying.

"I don't think we can hold any events as long as the borders are still closed.

"We will make a final decision by the end of the month.

"But we're still keeping our options open to host lower-tier events like the Malaysian Junior International Challenge and Malaysian International Challenge."

With time running out in a packed revised schedule, BAM may be forced to find new dates for the Malaysian Junior International Challenge, slated for Sept 7-12.

However, the national body still have time to prepare for the Malaysia International Challenge, scheduled for Nov 9-14.

Most Popular
Related Article
Says Stories