Politically unfriendly for Thailand to host BWF World Tour Asian legs?

Can Thailand play host to the proposed three Asian legs of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour in November?

While the Covid-19 pandemic situation is very much under control in the Land of Smiles, the same can’t be said for the country’s political state of affairs.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Bangkok last Saturday demanding curbs on the power and budget of the royal family.

While it’s still too early to foresee if it will affect Badminton Association of Thailand’s (BAT) hopes of bringing these top-tier events to the country, the recent development will certainly be one of the key factors the BWF and organisers will take into account.

The lucrative series comprise two Opens and one season-ending World Tour Finals, to be run for three consecutive weeks starting from Nov 10-15.

A whopping US$1mil (RM4.13mil) is on offer for each Open while the prize purse for the Finals is US$1.5mil (RM6.19mil).

The All-Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI) international relations manager Bambang Rudy Roedyanto believes the organisers would make their decision based on the entries of top-ranked players.

“The participation of top players will be key to whether the Opens will take place,” tweeted Rudy, who is also the Badminton Asia event committee chairman.

It has been proven recently how top players can determine the fate of an event.

The BWF had to postpone the Thomas and

Uber Cup Finals and call off the Denmark Masters following a spate of withdrawals from top teams that included badminton powerhouses Indonesia and South Korea.

The Denmark Open, to be held in Odense, from Oct 13-18 is the only event retained but the field will most likely be made up of Europeans.

But Thailand can take heart that Malaysia and Indonesia have declared their willingness to send their shuttlers if they get the green light to host it.