THE Badminton World Federation (BWF) are really getting smashed by the virus: they may have to cancel the Thomas Cup Finals, which would cost them to lose US$10 million (RM43m).
Much as BWF would like to see the prestigious Thomas Cup, scheduled for Oct 3-11 in Aarhus, Denmark, materialise, it is learnt that several nations are not keen to participate.
A top official revealed yesterday that the Indonesian BA are reluctant to let their players travel, even when the Thomas Cup is more than four months away.
"It's really hard to make any plans. I strongly believe that until a vaccine is found, many major tournaments this year will not take place," said the official, who wished to be anonymous.
"BWF really want to go on with the Thomas Cup. They will lose a lot of money if they are forced to cancel the event.
"But think about it, even if the Danish government opens its borders and allows mass gatherings, who would want to go and take the risk?
"What are the SOPs (standard operating procedures) for teams flying into Denmark? Will they be placed on quarantine? There are so many factors to be considered," he added.
Unlike the Fifa World Cup and the Olympics, the Thomas Cup has never been cancelled since its inception in 1949.
As it stands, the Thomas and Uber Finals this year have already been rescheduled twice due to the coronavirus turmoil.
Initially scheduled for May 16-24, the tournament was first postponed to Aug 15-23, before being pushed to Oct 3-11, following a directive from the Danish government to extend the ban on large gatherings.
BWF halted all World Tour events this year after the All England in March, and have also frozen the world rankings.
It is learnt that BWF would avoid cancelling the Thomas and Uber Finals this year because next year is already cramped with other major tournaments like the Sudirman Cup and World Championships, on top of the Olympics.
Even if the Thomas Cup show goes on this year, it will lose its glamour as the top players may not want to risk their safety by going.
In February, China, Hong Kong and India skipped the Asia Team Championships in Manila because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Matches were also played behind closed doors.