5 sporting events affected by the 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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.