New BWF Tournament Calendar Pivots Away from Asia - Federation Focus

(ATR) The Badminton World Federation reveals an updated tournament calendar for the remainder of 2021, featuring significant changes in event dates and locations brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following a comprehensive feasibility study, the BWF cancelled 10 BWF World Tour tournaments previously slated for the third and fourth quarters of the year, all of which were in Asia and Oceania. Cancellations include the China Open, Japan Open and India Open.

The BWF also designated new host cities for two competitions moved from China: the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals and the BWF World Tour Finals. The former was moved to Vantaa, Finland (September 26-October 3), while the latter will take place in Bali, Indonesia (December 1-5), as one of the few tournaments in Asia to remain on the program.

"Europe is seen as a more feasible region to conduct tournaments at this present time with higher rates of vaccine implementation and less travel restrictions," said BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund. "While a number of tournament hosts in Asia are eager to stage tournaments, the general feedback surrounding COVID-19 restrictions and the uncertainty of the situation there has meant that it is likely only a few tournaments could possibly take place".

The 2021 badminton season concludes in December with the World Championships in Huelva, Spain. A new player ranking cycle will begin immediately after the Tokyo Olympics.

World Taekwondo Embraces Virtual Sparring

World Taekwondo announces the development of a new virtual sparring technology through which taekwondo matches can take place fully remotely.

A product of the federation’s partnership with Refract Technologies, virtual sparring involves real-time motion tracking of a player’s movements; allowing players to kick and punch the avatar of their opponent in real time from anywhere in the world. Utilizing this technology would not only remove physical barriers to competition, but also enable athletes from different weight classes and genders to compete on a level playing field for the first time.

"World Taekwondo has been at the forefront of innovative technology adoption. We have long been committed to aligning with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and now 2020+5 vision in growing digital engagement", said World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue.

Virtual competitions have been planned by World Taekwondo for as early as 2022. The federation's announcement comes a week after the conclusion of the inaugural Olympic Virtual Series, a mass participation virtual sport event featuring five other disciplines.

World Athletics Relocates Race Walking Team Championships

The World Athletics Council moves to relocate the 2022 World Race Walking Team Championships, previously scheduled for Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

The decision came following a World Athletics Risk Committee report which cited several risk factors of Minsk hosting the Championships. Chief among these were uncertainties around Belarus’ diplomatic relations with other countries and international travel restrictions.

In a press release, World Athletics stated that it "remains confident in the local organising committee and the Belarus Athletics Federation which have worked hard and well to deliver this event, despite the challenges created by the pandemic, and regrets that circumstances beyond their control have led to this decision."

Several other international sporting events have likewise pulled out of Belarus in recent months due to political turmoil in the country; most notably the men’s Ice Hockey World Championships, European Track Cycling Championships and Biathlon World Cup.

Olympic Basketball Qualification Culminates

The final four spots for the men’s basketball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics will be decided this week, with 23 teams from around the world competing across four different venues.

Qualifying tournaments are being held in Victoria, Canada; Split, Croatia; Kaunas, Lithuania and Belgrade, Serbia. Six teams are entered in each competition except for five in Belgrade, where original entrant Senegal withdrew due to COVID-19 disruptions to their preparation.

Winners of each qualification group will join host Japan and the seven Olympic-qualified nations from the 2019 Basketball World Cup: Argentina, Australia, France, Iran, Spain, Nigeria and the United States. The men’s basketball tournament at the Tokyo Games will take place July 25-August 7.

Federation Focus is presented by the International Weightlifting Federation. Click here for more on the IWF.

Homepage photo: BWF

Written by Filip Vachuda

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