Badminton World Junior Championships 2020 cancelled over COVID-19 uncertainty

Kuala Lumpur:The BWF World Junior Championships 2020 have been canceled following uncertainty and travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the Badminton World Federation said on Thursday.

The tournament, scheduled to be held in New Zealand in January of 2021, but with a host for the next edition already in place for later in 2021, and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation expected to stretch into next year, postponement "was not an option", the world governing body of badminton said in a statement.

"We are of course disappointed not to be able to stage the 2020 version of the BWF World Junior Championships, but the entry restrictions in place and complexities related to the COVID-19 situation makes it impossible for the event to be planned and therefore hosted in New Zealand in January 2021 as currently scheduled," BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund said in the statement.

"It has been a difficult and extraordinary year during the pandemic but we all look forward to a more consistent junior international badminton calendar in 2021 and the next BWF World Junior Championships in China in October 2021," he said.

However, Badminton New Zealand is still committed to hosting the tournament and the BWF have accepted a proposal for them to stage the 2024 edition as a replacement.

Hosts for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 championships were already awarded by BWF Council in 2018, making 2024 the next available year, it said. (UNI)