Singapore badminton c'ships postponed over SARS scare

Singapore badminton c'ships postponed over SARS scare

Agence France-Presse, Singapore

This year's Singapore Open badminton tournament scheduled from
June 16-22 has been postponed because of the Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) health scare, organizers said on
Tuesday.

The announcement by the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA)
could also lead to the postponement of the Indonesian and
Malaysian legs of the grand prix series scheduled to take place
after the Singapore event.

It follows the scrapping of the May 12-18 world badminton
championships in the English city of Birmingham -- where dozens
of Asian players were among those scheduled to take part --
because of SARS.

SARS is thought to have originated in rural China and has been
most devastating in Asia, which accounts for most of the more
than 640 fatalities out of nearly 8,000 cases.

SBA said in a statement it decided to voluntarily postpone the
tournament ahead of a decision by the International Badminton
Federation (IBF) in early June on the fate of the Southeast Asian
grand prix.

Steven Yeo, SBA secretary general, said the association was
aware of the constraints faced by the IBF in making a decision
and its move to voluntarily postpone the event would avoid any
inconvenience to players, sponsors, volunteers and other persons
involved.

He said the decision to defer the Singapore Open was made
after discussions with SBA's counterparts in Indonesia and
Malaysia which have yet to make a public announcement.

"After discussing with our Indonesian and Malaysian
counterparts, we have put forth alternative dates to the IBF," he
said without giving out the proposed dates.