Under fire BWF revises calendar

● After coming under heavy fire for packing as many as

22 tournaments in five months, the Badminton World Federation has decided to resume it’s Olympic qualification process only in 2021.

New Delhi, May 27: Facing criticism for packing 22 tournaments in five months in its revised calendar, the Badminton World Federation on Wednesday said the disrupted Olympic qualification process will restart only next year with players having the benefit of holding on to the ranking points they have already secured.

The BWF said the tournaments announced for this year in its revised calendar will not be considered Olympic qualifiers. The calendar begins in August and has drawn sharp criticism from shuttlers, who have called it too crammed.

“An extended Olympic qualification period will be introduced from Week 1-17 in 2021 and includes the select number of tournaments that were postponed, cancelled or suspended due to Covid-19,” the BWF said in a release.

“These eligible tournaments within the new qualifying period must be completed by Week 17 in 2021,” it added.

But with the Tokyo Games postponed due to the global health crisis, the governing body of badminton has decided to extend the Olympic qualification period to next year.

The BWF also said that the postponed Olympic qualifiers are likely to be held in the same week next year as originally planned in 2020.

“Such eligible tournaments within this new qualifying period should preferably take place in the same corresponding week from 2020 to 2021. If this is

● The tournaments announced for 2020 in BWF’s revised calendar will not be considered for Tokyo Games.

● The ranking points gathered by players in the completed tournaments during the qualification phase, which was between April 29,

2019 to April 26,

2020, will be maintained.

not possible, the BWF will allow sanctioning another date within Week 1-17 in

2021 subject to approval.” The BWF also said that the ranking points gathered by players in the completed tournaments during the qualification phase, which was between April

29, 2019 to April 26, 2020, will be maintained.

“All ranking points earned at tournaments completed during the original Olympic qualification period will be maintained under the Race to Tokyo ranking list,” the world body said. —