Only a day after the Department of Health said that there was no need for the International Badminton Federation (IBF) to consider postponing the World Badminton Championships in Birmingham, UK Sport was today stunned by the news that the event is to be ‘postponed’.
John Scott, UK Sport’s Director of International Relations and Major Events, branded the decision, made by the IBF’s Executive, as ‘Bizarre and illogical’, given the assurances provided just 24 hours ago by the Department of Health.
‘Whilst I fully appreciate the serious impact of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) worldwide, it is difficult to understand quite why it should have led to the postponement of this event. The World Health Organisation has acted swiftly to put relevant controls in place and competitors from SARS-affected nations have been placed in isolation for some time.
‘The UK has worked hard to overcome all the concerns that the IBF rightly had about running the tournament at this time and it is difficult to see that any significant obstacles remain. We are disappointed for everyone who has worked tirelessly to put on a truly spectacular event. We are disappointed for the City of Birmingham, which was looking forward to hosting the event with pride. And we are especially disappointed for the public who had already bought tickets and were eagerly anticipating another helping of sport at its best, here in the UK.’
It is expected that the costs of the postponement will be picked up by the IBF, but it is too early to say what impact the postponement of the event – expected to generate in the region of £2m for the West Midlands – will have. It is also not known whether the IBF expects to re-arrange the event for another date within 2003, or whether the UK would still host the event, if a suitable venue was to be available.
As the organisation responsible for co-ordinating major events on home soil, UK Sport had made up to £280,000 of Lottery funding available towards the staging costs of the championships. Following the recent SARS outbreak, there had been speculation that the IBF might consider postponing the sport’s showpiece event, which was due to attract more than 300 competitors from 48 countries to the National Indoor Arena from 12-18 May. It was then that UK Sport acted swiftly to secure reassurance from the Department of Health.
In the letter – which was sent to Korn Dabbaransi, President of the IBF, on Monday evening – Hazel Blears MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, said that the Department of Health was not advising organisers to cancel large scale events.
‘The UK is taking SARS very seriously, and has put a number of measures in place to stop the spread of this infection,’ Blears stated.
‘Although we are not asking organisers such as yourselves to cancel mass gatherings, we would ask you to take into account the possible requirements of local health services should attendees become ill, particularly those coming from SARS affected countries who may have symptoms of SARS.
‘The UK has imposed no new restrictions on entry into the country for travellers from SARS affected areas.’
The letter went on to advise the IBF to work closely with the local public health department to put in place appropriate contingency measures, as well as making information on the virus fully available to players, team doctors and tournament medical personnel alike.
John Scott, summed up by saying:
‘Obviously the health and safety of both players and spectators must always be paramount, but the Department of Health clearly saw no reason for the event not to proceed. Today’s outcome is all the more difficult to understand when taken in that context.’
For more information please contact:
Rob Burgess at UK Sport on 020 7211 5174 / 07989 506 312.