Trio of top events to go ahead without spectators

The three premier badminton tournaments, scheduled to be held in Bangkok next month, will take place without spectators after a surge in Covid-19 cases in Thailand.

Muang Thong Thani’s Impact Arena will host three consecutive events — the Yonex Thailand Open from Jan 12-17, the Toyota Thailand Open from Jan 19-24 and the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 from Jan 27-31.

The first two events, both Super 1000 tournaments, offer a total purse of US$1 million each, while the 2020 season finale has a total prize fund of $1.5 million.

“The organisers are closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation in the country. And to follow the government’s health and safety protocols, it is determined that matches will now take place without spectators,” said Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, president of the Badminton Association of Thailand.

“However we will continue to assess the…