The Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT) announced that they have made a bid to host the Asia Open I, Asia Open II and the World Tour Finals that is set for November.
As reported by The Star, BWF has pledged to cover the cost of organising the three tournaments.
Earlier Indonesia had indicated that they were interested in hosting the Asian leg of tournaments, but the surge of Covid-19 infections in the country worked against them.
Currently, based on Worldometer’s data today, Thailand has recorded 3,490 Covid-19 cases with 58 deaths, making it one of the lowest hit countries. So, Thailand has the best chance of holding tournaments in a “safe bubble.”
Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, Chairman of BAT and the Vice President of BWF, reportedly said BAT was confident in creating a safe environment for conducting the three tournaments.
Strict safety protocols would be observed during the tournaments, including mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival, Covid-19 tests every three days and allocating designated hotels to each participant.
The hotels would also provide training grounds and would be easily accessible to the competition venue.
Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), said that BAM would most likely send players to Thailand if it came to fruition.
He said, “Since we’re not going to Aarhus, it’s best we get our players ready for the Asian circuit.”