Danish badminton player Hans Kristian Vittinghus expressed his surprise at the admission of spectators to the Birmingham Arena where the All England is held.
Through his Facebook account, Vittinghus questioned why the badminton tournament was still taking place.
According to the Dane, the most important thing right now is the health of athletes, coaches and staffs. He added that the current situation does not benefit the players.
He pointed out how the ATP Tour (golf), the NBA (basketball) competition and several football leagues around the world have been postponed or cancelled altogether.
“But with some tournaments being played, while others are being cancelled, and the Olympic qualifying year still ongoing, players are left with choices between risking not only their own health, but also the health of the ones around them (who could be a lot more vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease) – or giving up on tournaments, that others choose to play, risking to lose out on not only the Olympics, but also ranking spots that gives access to all the other big events.” Vittinghus wrote.
“I understand it’s (very) complicated suspending all play with all the many stakeholders for each and every event there is, but should the world of badminton not take the same responsibility upon us as the rest of the (sporting) world?
Why are we so special, that we should just keep on going?”
Vittinghus urged the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and other transcontinental federations to show stern leadership in facing the coronavirus threat and immediately “postpone” all badminton competitions in the world following the likes of the ATP and the NBA.
“I understand this is indeed a difficult decision, but if others can do it, why can’t we?” He concluded.
Hans Kristian Vittinghus wants to emphasize what Damiano Tommasi, chairman of the Italian Football Players Association, said, “Health comes first”, which means health is still number one.