Asian Badminton Tournaments Cancelled due to Virus

Three Asian badminton tournaments were cancelled Wednesday due to coronavirus-related disruptions, officials said, in the latest overhaul of the sport's calendar, reports AFP.

They include the Korea Open, due to take place in late August and September, and the Macau Open in November, governing body the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said.

The Korea Masters has now also been axed, after earlier being postponed from dates in June.

"The ongoing Covid-19 restrictions and complications left local organisers no choice but to cancel the tournaments," the BWF said in a statement.

The pandemic threw the badminton calendar into chaos in 2020, but international competitions had been getting back on their feet.

However new outbreaks driven by the highly contagious Delta variant in Asia, coupled with slow vaccine rollouts, are continuing to cause problems in the region.