Badminton Malaysia Open 2020 postponed due to COVID-19

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 -- The 2020 Malaysian Open badminton championship  scheduled for March 31 to April 5 at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil,  has been postponed due to the COVID-19 infection.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) said the decision was made after close consultation with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and in accordance with the decision made by the Malaysian government to suspend all sporting events until the end of April 2020 to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“Ticket buyers will be reimbursed, with the refunds to commence on Monday (March 16) and the process will take eight working days.

“With the situation under constant review, BAM will continue to monitor closely all advice with top priority being the safety and health of all,” said BAM in a statement, today.  

BWF had also issued a statement to suspend all BWF World Tour and other BWF-sanctioned tournaments from March 16 until April 12 due to the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak globally.

Tournaments affected include the Swiss Open 2020, India Open 2020, Orleans Masters 2020, Malaysia Open 2020, and Singapore Open 2020, as well as a number of international Grade Three tournaments. 

The suspension of the circuit will come into effect following the completion of the All England Open 2020 in Birmingham, England, on Sunday.

A number of the tournaments impacted as a result of the suspension fall within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifying period. 

BWF will make a further announcement on regulations related to Olympic qualification points at a later date.

-- BERNAMA