KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — There will be no restriction for Chinese shuttlers and officials to participate in any international badminton and para badminton tournaments despite the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) outbreak, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said.
In a statement today, it said that Chinese shuttlers are free to enter events and believed the hosts would provide full assistance and treat all athletes from member associations (MAs) equally.
The BWF is aware that a number of countries had introduced entry restrictions into their territories for people from China and foreign nationals who visited China in the last 14 days, the statement said.
“We have asked all MAs and hosts to contact their national health authorities to make them aware that international players will be arriving in their country and to seek advice on prevention and necessary courses of action should an incident occur.
“We also recognise that each member association’s national health authority will have its own rules and procedures which differ region to region,” it added.
Because of the fast-changing nature of the situation, the BWF is working closely with the key stakeholders such as the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA), all member associations and tournament hosts, as well as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to align on global and regional measures being put in place.
It includes communicating a number of common-sense measures endorsed by the IOC that all tournament hosts could implement to help participants at their events feel safe.
In the meantime, the BWF said that all the normal tournament conventions and etiquette would still apply at the badminton events, such as the coin toss, shaking of hands and medal ceremonies.
“The BWF is considering all relevant health, safety and logistical risks and will continue to update the entire badminton community on any further developments related to the coronavirus,” said the statement. — Bernama
