Badminton Association of India have decided to postpone the India Open Super 500 tournament. The time for any such in-person gathering is risky due to surge in Covid-19 cases in the country. The India Open of this year was supposed to be one of the last few events in the Olympic qualification cycle.
The tournament earlier was scheduled to be held from May 11 to 16 at the KD Jadhav Stadium in New Delhi. The Super 500 tournament was set to be held behind closed doors. BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania said the national badminton body held discussions with the Badminton World Federation as well the Delhi government before taking the call. The call was made was important regarding the safety of players and officials. Reportedly, Delhi has imposed a 6-day lockdown from Monday evening to curb the situation in the national capital. Singhania said that considering the current challenges, BAI is left with no option except to announce the postponement. The spike of coronavirus cases have already resumed the lockdown-like condition across the country. Many of gatherings and in-person activities are dismissed so to avoid any ruckus the postponement of tournament will be better.
Notably, close to 228 players were part of the initial entry list for India Open 2021. The World's No. 1 Kento Momota, Akane Yamaguchi and Viktor Axelsen were part of the entry list along with India star and world champion PV Sindhu.
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