India Open badminton suspended till April 12 in tune with world body\'s decision

New Delhi: The India Open badminton tournament was on Friday suspended at least till April 12 after the sport's world governing body decided to halt all events from March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said in a statement that the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak globally has forced it to cancel or postpone all tournaments from March 16 to April 12.

The situation, it said, has been aggravated by heightened travel and quarantine restrictions in place and the subsequent extreme logistical complications this causes to the movement of badminton athletes.

"Tournaments affected include the YONEX Swiss Open 2020, YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2020, Orleans Masters 2020, CELCOM Axiata Malaysia Open 2020, and Singapore Open 2020, as well as a number of international Grade 3 tournaments," the BWF said.

"The suspension of the circuit will come into effect following the completion of the YONEX All England Open 2020 in Birmingham, England, on Sunday 15 March," it added.

It said the decision was taken after consultation and consensus with its Host Member Associations and Continental Confederations.