BWF announces 2021 calendar focused on Olympic qualifiers; India Open scheduled in May

After COVID-19 forced the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to cancel multiple events, the top governing body of badminton postponed their events till it was safe for athletes to play again. More than twenty BWF events have been mapped out till the Tokyo Olympics, most being qualifiers for the Olympics that are rescheduled for the next year. The India Open in May will be the last scheduled qualifiers before the Olympics a few months later. 

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BWF 2021 Calendar released; focus on Olympics qualifiers

As per the schedule, the qualifying period for Tokyo will resume next year from the Swiss Open in March, followed by the German Open the same month. The India Open will be the last of the 17 qualifiers. "The qualification period will be extended until Week 19 with the India Open 2021 being the last tournament in the qualification period," BWF said in their statement. 

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The India Open was originally scheduled for March this year, before being pushed to December, but was eventually cancelled due to COVID-19 – which was the case for many other BWF events. As per BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund, "The focus has been to establish cluster tournaments where possible similar to what is planned for the Asian Leg in January in Thailand". The BWF is now expecting to stage multiple events, hoping to "ensure a more feasible tournament programme in 2021". 

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BWF events: India Open, Thailand Open and US Open

Note: Q = Olympic Qualifiers

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(Image credits: PTI)