“We prefer a January slot for the tournament because many Europeans skipped it as it was played during the Christmas break. Now that the tournament is being held in January, we hope there will be more European participation,” Badminton Association of India (BAI) vice-president T.P.S. Puri said.

The tournament, named after former India international late Syed Modi, was originally scheduled for Dec 17-22 and will now be played Jan 21-26.