New Delhi, India, April 20, 2021: The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced on Monday, April 19 that the Indian Open 2021 has Indian capital.
The May 11-16 tournament, one of the last few qualification events for the Tokyo Olympics, was due to be held behind closed doors at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.
“After consulting Badminton World Federation, we have decided to postpone the Indian Open 2021 due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in New Delhi and a new week-long lockdown,” said BAI General Secretary Ajay Singhania.
Delhi went into a six-day lockdown starting on Monday.
“The situation is not suitable to organise the tournament. It is sad that this tournament is getting cancelled for the second time. We are sure that we will host this tournament whenever the situation gets better,” Singhania said at a virtual press conference.
A total of 228 players had entered the Yonex-Sunrise Indian Open.
Badminton World Federation also issued a statement and said: “The decision was made in consultation with the local health authorities. All attempts were made by the organisers to conduct a safe tournament environment for all participants, but the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and gravity of the situation in Delhi left BAI with no choice but to postpone the tournament.”
Source: ANI