The 2021 All England Open (officially known as the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2021 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place at Utilita Arena Birmingham in England from 17 to 21 March 2021. It had a total purse of $850,000.
The total prize money for this tournament was US$850,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.[1]
Event
Winner
Finals
Semi-finals
Quarter-finals
Last 16
Last 32
Singles
$59,500
$28,900
$11,900
$4,675
$2,550
$850
Doubles
$62,900
$29,750
$11,900
$5,312.50
$2,762.50
$850
Controversies
On 17 March 2021 night local time, BWF stated that all Indonesian players competing in the tournament, including all three who had won in the first round, were withdrawn from the tournament after 20 of 24 people from the team were contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service via e-mail, and were required to enter 10-day isolation. They were contacted by the NHS after someone on the same inbound flight from Istanbul to Birmingham with the team was tested positive for COVID-19.[3][4] The entire team was forced to walk on foot from the arena to the hotel as their shuttle service was prevented from taking them to the hotel.[5]
This sparked controversy between Indonesian players and the BWF. The Indonesians protested because 3 Indian players who are tested positive before the tournament,[6] though 24 hours later tested negative after self testing,[7] were allowed to play on the tournament, while all of Indonesian team members had tested negative for the virus.[8] The start of the tournament itself had been delayed for five hours after 7 of COVID-19 results were deemed inconclusive.[9] The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) also stated that Turkish badminton player Neslihan Yiğit and her trainer who were on the same flight with the Indonesian team from Istanbul to Birmingham, but Yiğit was allowed to continue her tournament.[10] On 18 March noon local time, Yiğit was announced to had also been withdrawn from the tournament by the BWF.[11]
Earlier, the first round of the men's doubles between Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan and English pair Ben Lane and Sean Vendy sparked backlashes because of an arrangement where the service judge on duty, Alan Crow, was also English.[12] However, according to the rules, BWF never explicitly prohibits a technical official to officiate a match involving athletes from the same country with the technical official against athletes from another country.[13]
Indonesian National Olympic Committee also alleged unprofessional and discriminatory treatment by BWF, as Indonesian team are not allowed to use lifts and take the bus by the organizers.[14] On 22 March, the president of BWF Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen officially apologizes to Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister for the circumstances faced by Indonesian team during the event.[15]
