KUALA LUMPUR: This year’s Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Denmark have been postponed until 2021 after the withdrawal of several teams amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Tuesday.

South Korea and Indonesia pulled out of the biennial championship on Saturday, joining Australia, Taiwan and Thailand.

The Finals were originally scheduled for May but were first postponed to August due to the Covid-19 crisis before being moved to October 3-11 when the Danish government extended its ban on large gatherings.

“The BWF, in full consultation and agreement with local host Badminton Denmark, has made the tough decision to postpone the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2020,” the BWF said in a statement.

“The decision comes following the withdrawal of a number of participating teams from the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals and the European leg of the adjusted BWF World Tour.

“These are exceptional circumstances we find ourselves in and while a return to international badminton remains a priority for the BWF, the health and safety of the entire badminton community is of utmost importance.”

The sport’s governing body said it was looking at possible alternative dates to reschedule the team championships but not before 2021.

The Denmark Open in Odense, part of the BWF World Tour, would go ahead as planned from October 13-18 while the October 20-25 Denmark Masters, also scheduled for Odense, had been cancelled, the BWF added.

The BWF said organisers had been working for months to prepare for a safe return to international competition following the lockdown.

“This includes going to extreme lengths to preserve the health and safety of all participants such as implementing a bubble system to create a safe badminton ecosystem,” the BWF said.

The delay is a major setback to efforts to resume international competition, as it was the biggest event left on the calendar this year after the Olympics were postponed.

It also means that players face a packed calendar next year, potentially with four major tournaments.

If the Thomas and Uber Cup goes ahead in 2021, it could take place in the same year as the Olympics, the world championships and the Sudirman Cup, which is for mixed teams.

The BWF is yet to decide whether or not to proceed with three World Tour tournaments scheduled for Asia.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2020