Organisers of the three premier badminton tournaments scheduled to be held at Muang Thong Thani's Impact Arena this month are confident the events will run smoothly under strict Covid-19 protocols.
Thailand is scheduled to host three major BWF tournaments starting with the Jan 12-17 Yonex Thailand Open. It will be followed by the Jan 19-24 Toyota Thailand Open and the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 from Jan 27-31.
As the country is facing a new coronavirus outbreak, a decision has been taken that the three back-to-back tournaments will be held in bio-secure "bubble" conditions and behind closed doors.
"The three tournaments will be held in an organisational quarantine environment," said Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn yesterday as an inspection team that included Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, president of the Badminton Association of Thailand, Gongsak Yodmanee, governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, Dr Preecha Prempree, deputy chief of the Department of Disease, and Dr Walairat Chaifoo, director of the Epidemiology Bureau, visited Impact Arena, venue for the tournament, and Hall 5, which will serve as a training facility.
"Overseas athletes, their support staff and officials will stay at Novotel Bangkok Impact while the Thai athletes and officials will stay at Ibis Bangkok Hotel from Jan 4-31 and they will not be allowed to leave the 'Bubble Area' before the two-week Covid-19 quarantine period," added Phiphat.
A total of 433 athletes from 25 countries will compete in the three tournaments. All of them will be transported directly to their hotel and undergo Covid-19 tests every three days.
BAT chief Patama said: "We are aiming to bring back world-class badminton tournaments so fans can enjoy the sport again from the comfort of their homes."