The Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Association of India (BAI) have taken the tough call to cancel the Syed Modi India International, slated to be held in Lucknow from October 12 to 17. After consultations with local government authorities and the BWF, the organisers announced this decision on Thursday. Notably, it is the second time in a row that the badminton tournament has been canceled due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
India is not likely to host any other event in 2021
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In view of the travel restrictions and the safety of the citizens, the organisers decided to cancel the event this year too. A statement released by the international federation in this regard read, “The BWF regrets the cancellation but remains committed to delivering a safe and structured series of badminton tournaments for the rest of the year including the culmination to the BWF World Tour.”
It is noteworthy that the India Open 2021 scheduled for May and the Hyderabad Open to be held in August were canceled previously. Now, the cancellation of the Syed Modi India International means that India will not host any other event in 2021.
BWF World Tour to return from October 19
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During the latest announcements, the BWF also listed the tournaments for the BWF World Tour, which will commence on October 19 with the Denmark Open 2021. From a Super 750 event, the Denmark Open 2021 has been upgraded to a Super 1000 event due to the cancellation of the China Open. While Spanish Masters in May was the last BWF World Tour event that happened this year, seven events are scheduled now between October 10 and December 19.
As per the current plans, the season will be restarted with the Sudirman Cup Finals from September 26-October 3. This will be followed by the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, slated to be held from October 9-17.
-With inputs from IANS.
