5 sporting events affected by the coronavirus
The coronavirus, called 2019-nCoV, has China and the rest of the world on alert. According to the different bulletins that the Chinese authorities have been updating, it is estimated that at least 80 people have died and more than 2,800 people have been diagnosed.
Athlete during winter games. / Photo: Pixabay – Reference Image
LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz
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Leer en español: 5 eventos deportivos afectados por el coronavirus
Added to the fact that “medical monitoring of 32,799 people has been carried out, of which 30,453 are still under observation”, according to RTVE.
Due to the rapid contagion, the city where the virus originated, Wuhan, was isolated while more than ten cities in the central region of China have constant restrictions and controls on the population. The authorities remain on alert and one of the main recommendations is to try not to be in crowds or frequent places where the masses can concentrate.
This is why neither traditions such as the Chinese New Year nor major sporting events were saved from being canceled or postponed and from LatinAmerican Post we show you what will happen to the sports agenda for the first months of 2020.
1. Pre-Olympic
Both the women's soccer pre-Olympic and the basketball pre-Olympic would take place in China, so the respective organizations decided to change the venue and carry them out in countries far from the virus.
As for the football pre-Olympic, it was initially planned to take place from February 3 to 6 in Wuhan. However, being the epicenter of the virus, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that the new headquarters would be in Sydney, Australia.
The president of the Football Federation of Australia (FFA), Chris Nikou, commented that "the FFA is happy and willing to organize this Olympic Qualification Tournament, and we hope to host the national teams of older women."
Chris Nikou: "FFA is happy and willing to organise this Olympic Qualification Tournament, and we look forward to hosting the women’s senior national teams from China PR, Thailand and Chinese Taipei in February." https://t.co/uc3RheOsdb
— Football Federation Australia (@FFA) January 26, 2020
On the other hand, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) confirmed that the tournament between the teams of China, Korea, Great Britain, and Spain, which would take place in Foshan, will take place from February 6 to 9 in Belgrade, Serbia.
In the statement given by the federation, they explain that after having carefully evaluated the developments related to the outbreak of the coronavirus and prioritizing the safety of the participating players and the members of the team delegation, the FIBA Executive Committee decided to relocate the tournament.
.@FIBA today confirmed that the #FIBAOQT originally scheduled to be played in Foshan, China, will be played on the same dates, February 6 -9, 2020 in Belgrade, Serbia. https://t.co/ufUgMaiUEs
— FIBA media (@FIBA_media) January 27, 2020
2. Regional Federation Cup
Before the outbreak of the virus, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) decided to move one of the regional qualifying events for the Federation Cup. The event, which was that of Group 1 of Asia / Oceania and which was scheduled to play from February 4 to 8 in Dongguan, China, will now be played in Nursultan, Kazakhstan.
In a statement, the federation said the decision was made in the face of increasing travel restrictions in China after consulting with independent security advisors. These rankings serve to make the two best teams win promotion to the Federation Cup playoffs that will take place in April.
The ITF has announced the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Asia/Oceania Group I event, due to take place next month in Dongguan, China, P.R., will now be played at the National Tennis Centre in Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana), Kazakhstan. Full statement: https://t.co/I7kJqNNNTC
— ITF Media (@ITFMedia) January 26, 2020
Read also: Coronavirus dulls the Lunar New Year
3. National Winter Games
The 14th edition of the national winter games was postponed, according to the committee in charge. The event was planned from February 16 to February 26 and for the first time, the games would be held in Inner Mongolia. There were high expectations because it was an important step for the preparation of the 2022 Winter Olympics. So far, no possible dates have been given to reschedule the games.
Winter Games Canceled
China cancelled several major events, including the national winter games scheduled for mid-February in inner #Mongolia. It shows how great the #virus danger is. #coronarvirus #WuhanVirus pic.twitter.com/yfDtb6stxC— Danyel Carinzia (@x1268x) January 26, 2020
4. Athletics Competitions
There are several events affected by the coronavirus. On the one hand, the Asian Athletics Association announced that it decided to suspend the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, which were to be held on February 12 and 13 in Hangzhou, China. Although the city is more than 700 kilometers away from the outbreak, the association decided to cancel the event as a precaution.
On the other hand, Hong Kong announced that the marathon that was to be held on February 8 and 9 has also been canceled. This event is one of the most important not only for its popularity – more than 70,000 people had signed up – but for the awards.
According to Running Magazine, the winners have the possibility of winning $ 65,000 dollars and $ 12,000 more if the broker gets to establish a new brand. According to the official website of the marathon, the decision was made in response to prevention efforts, highlighting that "public health is our top priority."
In addition, the World Indoor Athletics Championships that are planned to take place between March 13 and 15 in Nanjing could also be canceled. The city is about 600 kilometers from Wuhan; However, World Athletics, the federation in charge, has not yet expressed itself.
So far the coronavirus outbreak has led to the cancellation or postponement of the Asian Indoor Athletic Championships, the Hong Kong Marathon, and Gaoligong UTMB. Are the World Indoor Championships next?https://t.co/6BqKbobCol pic.twitter.com/1UNX5PIECH
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) January 27, 2020
5. Chinese Grand Prix
In recent days the possibility of suspending the Chinese Grand Prix had been studied, which will take place between April 17 and 19 in Shanghai. Although the suspension of the race has not been confirmed, the fact that Rally Changbai has been suspended, which was to take place from February 12 to 14, could indicate that the Formula 1 race could also follow the same path.
UPDATE: The notice 'suspending all sporting events until April' has since been taken down from the Chinese motorsport authority's website. The situation will be monitored closely by the FIA, FE and F1 given the races scheduled in Sanya (Mar 21) and Shanghai (Apr 19) respectively https://t.co/NXRzecBM7T
— The Race (@wearetherace) January 23, 2020