Spanish Masters’ cancellation spells trouble

PETALING JAYA: The cancellation of the Spanish Masters has raised concerns over the status of other major tournaments lined up in Europe, including the All-England, in March.

Yesterday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced that the event scheduled from March 1-6 in Huelva has been called off due to rising Covid-19 cases in the region.

It is the latest tournament to be taken off the calendar as the European men and women’s team championships, scheduled from Feb 15-20 in Lahti, Finland, which is the qualifier for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, have also been cancelled.

The tournaments after the Spanish meet are German Open (March 8-13), All-England (March 16-20) and Swiss Open (March 22-27).

BWF however, assured that other tournaments would go on as planned.

“Spanish Badminton Federation concluded that they are not able to stage the tournament.

“The remainder of the calendar is unchanged,” said the BWF statement.

“BWF, in collaboration with their World Tour hosts, remain diligent in preparing for upcoming tournaments despite the Covid-19 landscape continuing to change.”