Chen Yufei won the Olympic women's singles title in 2021, as well as helping China to Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup crowns ©Getty Images

Nominees have been revealed for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Player of the Year Awards - with honours for the last two seasons combined because of the COVID-19 crisis and resulting cancellation of numerous tournaments.

The awards will crown standout performers in the period from November 1 2019 to October 31 2021.

Olympic champions Chen Yufei and Viktor Axelsen headline the respective shortlists for Female Player of the Year and Male Player of the Year.

Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu-ying, who China's Chen beat in the Tokyo 2020 final, Spaniard Carolina Marín - a former world and Olympic champion - and Akane Yamaguchi, who helped Japan win Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup silver medals earlier this year, complete the women's nominees.

China's Wang Yilyu - a Tokyo 2020 mixed doubles gold medallist, Sudirman Cup champion and Thomas Cup runner-up, joins Japan's Yuta Watanabe and Dane Anders Antonsen on the men's shortlist.

Watanabe won Olympic, Sudirman Cup and Thomas Cup medals, while Antonsen won the European men's singles title earlier this year.

His final opponent, Axelsen, was ruled out of that match after testing positive for COVID-19.

Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, Chinese Taipei's men's Olympic doubles champions, join fellow Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu from Indonesia among the Pair of the Year contenders.

China's Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping, the mixed doubles champions, are also on the five-pair shortlist.

Men's WH2 Tokyo 2020 champion Daiki Kajiwara is in contention to win Male Para Badminton Player of the Year ©Getty Images
Men's WH2 Tokyo 2020 champion Daiki Kajiwara is in contention to win Male Para Badminton Player of the Year ©Getty Images

Malysian duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, men's doubles bronze medallists at Tokyo 2020, could win Most Improved Player, but face competition from the Taiwanese duo who won the gold medal, Thai player Pornpawee Chochuwong - who won a maiden BWF World Tour title in 2020 - and Lee Zii Jia, Malaysia's reigning All England Open champion.

Line Christophersen, the 21-year-old Dane who lost to Marín in the 2021 European Championships final but is a reigning continental champion in the women's team and mixed team disciplines, could win Most Promising Player.

Toma Junior Popov from France, Thai shuttler Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Canada's Brian Yang are Christophersen's competition.

Five Tokyo 2020 champions are on the six-player Male Para Badminton Player of the Year shortlist, while Japan's Sarina Satomi - winner of two Paralympic gold medals on home courts in Japan - headlines the women's nominees.

A six-strong shortlist for the Para Badminton Pair of the Year honour has also been unveiled, including Satomi with Yuma Yamazaki. 

Badminton made its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

Winners of the BWF Player of the Year Awards will be announced when the World Tour visits Bali later this month.