The chaos in China’s sporting programme caused by the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has already forced China to cancel or reschedule a host of events, is spreading into Asia’s sporting calendar.
The novel coronavirus originated in a live seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, and the first infection was reported last month. Two people have died outside China – one each in the Philippines and Hong Kong. The deaths in China have now surpassed the total Chinese toll from the 2002-’03 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. It was another coronavirus that emerged from China and killed 774 people around the world.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization on Saturday said the situation had been stabilising over the last four days, according to AFP. However, it also cautioned against making early predictions and said the figures may still shoot up.
On Monday, golf’s LPGA Tour cancelled the HSBC Women’s World Champions and the LPGA Thailand.
Here is the latest rundown of Asian sporting spectacles affected by the outbreak:
Badminton
The China Masters tournament from February 25 to March 1 has been shelved, the Badminton World Federation announced after several players withdrew. The BWF indicated that the Asia Championships in Wuhan from April 21-26 are likely to follow suit. The Badminton Asia Team Championship, that kicks off in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, is the latest in the many sporting events affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic in China.
Badminton Asia had to conduct a fresh draw for the men’s event as the teams from China and Hong Kong decided not to travel to Manila after the Philippines government made a rule that no one coming from these countries can enter the island nation without 14 days of quarantine period.
The Indian women’s team pulled out of the event while the men’s team start their campaign on Tuesday.
Golf
This month’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and the LPGA Thailand were cancelled Monday, meaning the US LPGA Tour has been forced to scrap all three of its lucrative early-season events in Asia after China’s Blue Bay tournament was canned 10 days ago.
The women’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand next week has also fallen while the PGA Tour’s third-tier China series has been forced to move qualifying events to Indonesia and Thailand.
No decision has been made yet by the men’s European Tour as to whether its flagship China Open in April will go ahead in the city of Shenzhen. The Hong Kong Women’s Open, originally scheduled for next month, has been shifted to May.
Football
China has suspended all domestic football and postponed indefinitely the top-flight Chinese Super League season which was due to kick off on February 22.
The virus has had a big impact on Asia’s continental competitions, with four Chinese clubs’ home group matches in the AFC Champions League, which begins this week, being postponed until at least April and May.
No decision has been made yet on Asia’s World Cup qualifying matches next month. China are due to host the Maldives on March 26 and play in Guam five days later. Fixtures involving Hong Kong and Taiwan could also be in doubt.
A women’s Olympic qualifying event between China, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia scheduled for last week in Wuhan, the disease epicentre, was moved initially to Nanjing then to Sydney.
The China women’s football team were quarantined in a Brisbane hotel on Wednesday after arriving in Australia for the tournament but have been given the all-clear to play, and the delayed tournament will wrap up this week.
Athletics
The World Indoor Championships, scheduled for Nanjing from March 13-15, were postponed for a year. The Hong Kong Marathon, due to take place on Sunday, was cancelled.
Five Pakistani athletes abandoned their training programme in China’s top-notch facility and returned home soon after the outbreak of the coronavirus, reported PTI. They were preparing for a few upcoming tournaments, including the Tokyo Olympics.
Motorsport
The Chinese Formula E Grand Prix, due to take place in Sanya on the southern island of Hainan on March 21, was called off “after close consultation” with government authorities.
The Chinese Formula One Grand Prix, in Shanghai on April 19, and the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix in Hanoi on April 5 are also at risk, with governing body the FIA saying they are “monitoring the evolving situation”.
Boxing
A qualification event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics initially scheduled from February 3-14 in Wuhan was rescheduled for Amman in Jordan from March 3-11.
Basketball
Last week’s women’s Olympic qualifying tournament, a four-team battle for three Tokyo places between China, Great Britain, Spain and South Korea was moved from Foshan, in southern China, to Belgrade.
The Chinese Basketball Association has postponed the second half of its top-flight CBA League, which had been due to start on February 1.
Cycling
The Tour of Hainan from February 23 to March 1 – a second-tier ProSeries race – was cancelled by the International Cycling Union who said the event could be rescheduled later in 2020.
Tennis
The Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I event between China, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Uzbekistan in the southern city of Dongguan was postponed at the weekend and will now be played in Dubai from March 3-7.
Skiing
This month’s men’s World Cup races in the Chinese resort of Yanqing, the first test events for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, were cancelled and shifted to Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria on February 13 and 14.
Aquatics
The Chinese leg of the Diving World Series, scheduled for March 7-9 in Beijing, was cancelled.
Snooker
The China Open in Beijing, set for March 30-April 5, has been cancelled.
Rugby Sevens
The Hong Kong Sevens, the showpiece of the World Rugby Sevens Series, is due to take place in the city bordering mainland China from April 3-5.
A cancellation would mean 2020 would be the first year since its inauguration in 1976 that the famous event, which played on during the deadly 2003 SARS outbreak, has not been played.
Wrestling
The Wrestling Federation of India had said it has got assurance from the central government that “quarantined” Chinese grapplers will not be denied entry into the country for the upcoming Asian Championship despite fears surrounding the deadly coronavirus, reported PTI.
The Indian government has suspended the e-visa facility for the Chinese travellers, fearing the spread of the virus which has claimed 490 lives so far. The WFI, though, is expecting a 40-strong contingent from China at the Championship, scheduled to be held here from February 18 to 23 after receiving assurance from the external affairs ministry.
WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said they have requested the external affairs ministry to ensure that visa is granted to wrestlers from Pakistan as well
“I’m extremely hopeful there will be no problem. There is possibility of wrestlers from both the countries competing,” Sharan said “He has assured me that there will be no problem. After the discussion I don’t think there is going to be any problem.”
The Chinese Wrestling Association has written to the WFI, requesting them to help out with the participation of their grapplers in the championship.
“China’s federation sent us a request letter saying that 40 grapplers have been checked and none of them have been tested positive for the virus. They have been quarantined,” Bhushan said
(With AFP and PTI inputs)
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