Fans denied entry in Indian Open Badminton due to Coronavirus

The Badminton Association of India has revealed on Wednesday that the Indian Open Super 500 tournament which is a vital tournament in qualifications for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games will be played behind closed doors due to the fears of the global Coronavirus disease.

The event worth USD 400,000 came under threat when the outbreak of the CORVID 19 began which has so far claimed over 4000 lives with over 100,000 people infected worldwide.

There has however been a release of a joint statement released by the Badminton Association of India [BAI] and Badminton World Federation [BWF] stating clearly that’s the event scheduled will go as planned with the addition of taking precautionary measures for perfect conduct of the tournament.

The statement expressly was written saying “The YONEX – SUNRISE India Open 2020 to be held in New Delhi from 24th-29th March will go ahead a planned “.

The Badminton Association of India General Secretary, Ajay K Singhania said that there had been advanced precautionary measures in place to ensure the safety and welfare of players, entourage and officials.

“one of the precautionary measures taken is the restriction of entry by the people into the stadium”.

The Indian Open will go ahead as scheduled at the KD Jadhav Stadium [Indira Gandhi indoor stadium]. “To ensure maximum safety of everyone, we have decided not to allow any spectator at this time”.

Ajay Singhania added that fans could watch the games via YouTube for the first few days while it he’s local stations will air the games from the quarter-finals.

Written by: Olumide Akinnifesi