Hong Kong Open canceled due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions

China’s He Bingjiao picks up the shuttlecock with her racket between points with Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in their women’s singles badminton quarter final match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 30, 2021. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Thursday the Hong Kong Open due to take place in November has been canceled for the third straight year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the complexities of quarantine measures in the city.

The event, a Super 500 tournament, was due to take place in Kowloon on Nov. 8-13.

“The Hong Kong Badminton Association (HKBA) had been working closely with government authorities to seek special approval on easing some restrictions for event participants,” the BWF said in a statement.

“However, with quarantine restrictions still required for all overseas visitors, HKBA concluded there was no other viable option than to cancel the tournament.”

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world still imposing quarantine for arrivals, but it shortened the quarantine period earlier this month to three days from seven as the Asian financial hub seeks to gradually unwind strict pandemic rules.

The Macau Open, a Super 300 event scheduled for Nov. 1-6, has also been called off for the third consecutive year.

Macau’s badminton federation said it was not possible to host the tournament this year due to travel and entry restrictions to the territory and the ongoing health prevention measures in place, the statement added.

The BWF World Tour continues with the Japan Open in Osaka, which ends on Sunday.

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