Badminton-India Open postponed after surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi

(Reuters) - The India Open, which was scheduled for May 11-16 in New Delhi, has been postponed due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the country's capital, tournament organisers Badminton Association of India (BAI) said on Monday.

India is enduring a second wave of the novel coronavirus, with infections passing the 15 million mark, second only to the United States.

The capital region of Delhi is due to go into a six-day lockdown on Monday night.

"The decision was made in consultation and collaboration with local health authorities in Delhi and the Badminton World Federation," the BAI said in a statement.

"All attempts were made by organisers to conduct a safe tournament environment for all participants, but the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and gravity of the situation in Delhi left BAI no choice but to postpone the tournament."

The Badminton World Federation did not provide a new date for the Super 500 tournament.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Alex Richardson)