Thailand will host three major badminton tournaments in January next year.
The three events include two BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournaments with the third being the BWF World Tour Finals.
The Yonex Thailand Open will be held between Jan 12-17, followed by the Toyota Thailand Open on Jan 19-24 while the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 will take place on Jan 27-31.
The 2020 season was suspended in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic but competition resumed earlier this month with the successful staging of the Denmark Open.
"The Asian leg presents an important opportunity for us to kickstart badminton's successful return and to see our players back in action," said BWF president Poul-Erik Hoyer during a conference call to announce the staging of the tournaments on Friday.
"Thailand has a strong history of organising major badminton tournaments and we trust our hosts to deliver a spectacular month of badminton in January 2021."
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said it will be a unique chance for Thai fans to watch international badminton competitions in the "new normal" format. "I would like to express my deep appreciation to Badminton Association of Thailand [BAT], Ministry of Tourism and Sports and Sports Authority of Thailand for your joint efforts in enhancing Thailand's credibility in the eyes of the international community in tackling the Covid-19 crisis," said Anutin.
"With our efficient containment measures, Thailand has been selected to host three consecutive tournaments of the HSBC BWF World Tour which will deservedly earn good reputation for our country."
Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the tournaments are a great opportunity to restore the country's tourism economy which will also showcase Thailand's potential to host world-class sporting events.
"The staging of the tournaments aligns with the vision of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to develop and integrate tourism and sports. Furthermore, these events can also set a criteria for other sports competitions in Thailand in the new normal."
Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, president of the BAT, said it was an honour for BAT to host the tournaments.
"These tournaments will make people proud of the country because it is the first time that three tournaments of this kind will be held in one month in one country," said Patama.