Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 1, 2020: The Badminton World Federation and Chinese Badminton Association have postponed the Lingshui China Masters 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The BWF and CBA have considered all necessary health, safety and logistical risks and both parties believe it is sensible to postpone the tournament. Many players had already withdrawn from the tournament.
The tournament was due to be held from February 25 to March 1 but it will now not take place until May at the earliest.
Both the BWF and CBA are in dialogue with the tournament host as well as member associations and players to adjust travel plans and revise tournament planning.
The Lingshui China Masters 2020 was one of the qualifying events for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. With a likely new date for May or later, ranking points from this event will now no longer contribute to Olympic qualifying as it will be outside the qualification window.
The BWF can also confirm that Badminton Asia is reviewing its flagship event, the 2020 Badminton Asia Championships to be staged in Wuhan, China, and the BWF will support Badminton Asia and the CBA in this process. It is, however, too early to make any final conclusions related to this event.
The 2020 Badminton Asia Championships falls within the Tokyo 2020 qualification window and is one of the last opportunities for athletes to qualify for the Olympics Games.
Source: BWF