Apr 3, 2020 CE
Tournament Postponed
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) officially announced the postponement of the 2020 World Championships due to the escalating COVID-19 pandemic and global travel restrictions.
Chronological Storyline (5 Milestones)
May 1, 2020 CE
World Rankings Frozen
BWF froze the world rankings, which directly impacted and paused the qualification process for the postponed World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics.
Aug 18, 2020 CE
Original Scheduled Dates Pass
The original scheduled window for the tournament, August 18-23, 2020, passed without any matches being played as the event remained indefinitely postponed.
Sep 15, 2020 CE
Revised Calendar Released
The BWF released a revised tournament calendar for late 2020 and early 2021, confirming that the World Championships would be rescheduled to late 2021 rather than held in 2020.
Dec 15, 2020 CE
Official Cancellation
The BWF officially cancelled the 2020 edition of the World Championships, deciding not to hold the tournament to avoid clashing with the 2021 World Championships scheduled in Huelva, Spain.