Zheng Siwei (L) and Huang Yaqiong of China compete in the Mixed Double finals of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China, December 15, 2019. /VCG
Badminton World Federation (BWF) Wednesday announced canceling all four prestigious tournaments in Asia in September because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The tournaments in China's Taipei from September 1-6, the Korea Open in Seoul (September 8-13), the China Open in Changzhou (September 15-20), and the Japan Open (September 22-27) in Yokohama have all been axed.
"We are deeply disappointed to have to cancel tournaments, but feel that the well-being of everyone involved is most important at this time," BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund said in a statement.
"We share the disappointment of many around the world who were looking forward to the return of badminton and appreciate all of the continued support from our fans and partners as we continue to navigate the remainder of the 2020 season," he added.
Kento Momota of Japan in action during the men's singles final match of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China, December 15, 2019. /VCG
Badminton is massively popular across Asia and China Open is one of only two top-ranked World Super Tour 1000 series tournaments on the calendar, while Japan Open is one of the five annual World Tour Super 750 events.
Later events in Asia such as the Super 500 Hong Kong Open in November and December's World Tour finals in China remain listed on the calendar, but the BWF cautioned that a decision on future events "will be made in due course."
The pandemic has upended sports events around the world, from the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the cancellation of Wimbledon.
Last week, the men's ATP Tour and women's WTA Tour announced all tennis tournaments in China for the rest of the year had been cancelled, including the Shanghai Masters and WTA Finals in Shenzhen.