The Spanish Open Challenger and Moscow Open Challenger have both been rescheduled due to ongoing local and travel restrictions caused by COVID-19.
Spanish Open Postponement
Speaking about the postponement, Spanish Open Challenger Tournament Director Niall McCracken said the following:
“The current high rates of covid infection continues to create much uncertainty leading to the postponement of many sporting events. So with the full agreement and support of the FIR, we will have to postpone the CHA Spanish Open. We are simply unable to actively organise and promote a largely indoor event at the moment.
It is highly frustrating but we need this first event to be a success. We have now secured an alternative date with the local council and venue for the tournament for October 7-9, 2022. So we are greatly looking forward to finally welcoming the Racketlon community in October!”
Moscow Open Postponement
The covid situation in Russia continues to be bad, with many restrictions on travel as well as in-and-around Moscow. As a result, Tournament Director Svetlana Kasilova, the Russian Racketlon Federation and the tournament venue all feel it would be best and safest to postpone the Moscow Open Challenger from its planned date in April. This decision is fully supported by the FIR. We are delighted to announce a new summer date for the Moscow Open Challenger; July 30-31.
Hosting international Racketlon tournaments is a big undertaking with many challenges which take many months of planning and work – even more so when you are doing it for the first time in a new Racketlon country and in a new venue. As a result, the FIR is doing all we can to fully support the teams behind both these exciting new tournaments for 2022. We’re very pleased to have now secured new dates for later this year.
Huge thanks go to all those involved in the Spanish and Moscow Opens. Your determination and resilience to get these fantastic tournaments happening is great to see. I know the Racketlon community are genuinely excited to come and play in these amazing new locations later this year.
Covid continues to frustrate. Even though it is clearly having a big impact on the start of the 2022 World Tour, we are currently very confident that both the IWT French Open and Nick Matthew Steel City Open Challenger will both happen. We are also of the view that from April onwards, covid restrictions will have eased considerably allowing us to stage a very active and busy FIR World Tour for 2022.
We look forward to seeing you at a tournament very soon!
The full 2022 FIR World Tour and Challengers are available here. Entry is currently open to all players for the IWT French Open, Nick Matthew Steel City Open Challenger and IWT Swiss Open.
Duncan Stahl / FIR President
