The Badminton Asia Championships 2020 originally slated to be held in Wuhan, China – epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak – will now take place in Manila, Philippines from 21-26 April.

The decision was confirmed by Badminton Asia on Wednesday.

The championships fall within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification window and is one of the last opportunities for athletes to qualify for the Olympics Games.

Last month, Manila staged the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2020 in which teams from China and Hong Kong China were non-participants.

This was due to a government imposed 14-day quarantine period for athletes from China, Hong Kong China, and Macau China attempting to enter Philippines as a result of COVID-19.

Today, Badminton Asia revealed it had been working closely with the Philippine Badminton Association (PBA) to secure visas for all athletes for the individual championships.

“We have been trying to secure visa approval for all players and officials so they can be granted entry into Manila for this important and prestigious tournament.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the President of Philippine Badminton Association and relevant staff, together with the Government of the Philippines for assisting on this matter,” the statement read.

BWF welcomed the news and confirmed all relevant health, safety and logistical risks had been considered and that the welfare of players, entourage, and officials at the tournament remained the top priority.

COVID-19: Important Information for the Badminton Community