BWF World Tour Finals shifted from China to Thailand due to Covid-19 crisis

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in China, the BWF World Tour Finals have been moved out of the country.

The city of Guangzhou in China was set to host the event from December 14, but due to the current COVID-19 crisis in the city the Badminton body decided to shift the venue.

The Nimibutr Arena in Bangkok, Thailand is set to host the event which will now start a week earlier on December 7 due to the change in venue and stadium availability issues.

The BWF said that after consulting with the Chinese Badminton Association, they agreed to relocate the World Tour Finals due to the various challenges brought about by the current situation.

BWF added that it will confirm the list of qualified athletes for the tournament on November 22 after the conclusion of the ongoing Australian Open.

HS Prannoy will be the only Indian at the World Tour Finals, after double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, the only other Indian shuttler to qualify for the season-ending event, pulled out of the tournament on Sunday as she is yet to fully recover from a stress fracture on her left ankle.

Also read: PV Sindhu pulls out of BWF World Tour finals