The 3rd Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International has been postponed until further notice.
Government and local authorities have instructed sporting organisations in the UAE to postpone all international sport activities scheduled for the next two months due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The local organising committee confirmed the decision on Wednesday (4 March).
It follows a series of positive cases diagnosed during the recent UAE Cycling Tour.
The organising committee said: “Our government took the decision to close schools and universities in UAE for four weeks starting from Sunday 8 March 2020 as a measure of precaution to protect students from any unlikely contagion. Many international sport events, forums, conferences and exhibitions have been either cancelled or postponed for the same reason.”
The Dubai Para Badminton International fell outside the qualifying period for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Qualifying ends 2 April.
“Our Para badminton tournament is postponed until further notice. We do understand how important the competition is for athletes preparing for Tokyo 2020, but we strongly believe that their safety together and that of technical and administrative staff is much more important,” their statement read.
Three other non-Olympic qualifying events have also been cancelled or postponed.
- YONEX SINGHA BANGCHAK BTY Junior International Series 2020 (Bangkok 21-26 April)
- Mongolia Junior International Series 2020 (Ulaanbaatar 19-24 May)
- Mongolia International Challenge 2020 (Ulaanbaatar 26-31 May)
BWF continues to monitor official updates on COVID-19 with the health, safety and wellbeing of players, their entourage, fans, officials and other parties as the top priority.
Follow the latest updates – COVID-19: Important Information for the Badminton Community
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