Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov 15: The Badminton World Tour Finals tournament has been moved from Guangzhou to Bangkok due to the Covid-19 epidemic issue in the China. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced in a statement on Tuesday, that the event will start a week sooner and be played from December 7 to 11.
Concerns are raised regarding the Asian Games, which were postponed until 2023, due to the cancellation of sporting activities in China. The continental competition was scheduled to take place in Hangzhou in August 2022.
“BWF in consultation with the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) agreed to relocate the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2022 due to the various challenges brought about by the current pandemic situation,” the BWF said in a statement.
The Badminton Association of Thailand was also complimented by the international governing body of badminton for offering an alternative location at “such late notice.”
The Nimibutr Arena in Bangkok will now host the BWF World Tour Finals. Due to stadium availability and as a result of the change in venue, the event will begin sooner.
The BWF World Tour Finals, which conclude the season, will feature the top 8 players and pairs. The BWF will announce the final list of eligible individuals and teams on November 22 following the conclusion of the Australian Open.
Notably, PV Sindhu of India withdrew from the competition to give herself more time to heal from a stress fracture. Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth are unlikely to qualify since they did not compete in the Australian Open. The sole Indian participant in the renowned season-ending tournament will be HS Prannoy.
