Coronavirus epidemic affects sport-events

Here is a list of international sports events whose timing has been affected by a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 1,300 people and infected more than 60,000 in China after emerging late last year in Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei province:

ATHLETICS

* The World Athletics Indoor Championships, scheduled for Nanjing from March 13-15, were postponed until next year. World Athletics is working with organizers on a date to host the biennial event in 2021.

* The Asian Athletics Association canceled its Feb. 12-13 indoor championships in Hangzhou.

SOCCER

* Asian Champions League matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG have been postponed.

Guangzhou and the Shanghai clubs will join the competition in April, with their group matches due to be played in May.

Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG were due to play away at Perth Glory and Sydney FC but Australian officials sought to reschedule matches after their government imposed a travel ban on foreign nationals arriving from China.

* A four-team women’s Olympic qualifying tournament involving China, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand was moved from Wuhan to be held in Australia by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

* Vietnam said it would not allow sports events to be hosted in February, meaning home AFC Cup group stage matches for Ho Chi Minh City and Than Quang Ninh will have to be switched to away fixtures.

Ho Chi Minh City will now face Yangon United in Myanmar on Feb. 11 while Than Quang Ninh meet Ceres Negros on Feb. 25 in the Philippines.

* The Chinese Football Association said domestic games at all levels would be postponed.

* The AFC said preliminary stage matches of the East Zone of the AFC Cup 2020 were postponed by a couple of months to recommence on April 7 due to travel curbs in several countries.

FORMULA ONE

* The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai set for April 19, has been postponed by the governing body FIA and Formula One.

Authorities will weigh potential alternative dates later this year if the situation improves.

FORMULA E

* The all-electric Formula E motor racing series abandoned plans for a race in Sanya on March 21.

TENNIS

* The International Tennis Federation moved the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I event featuring China, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Uzbekistan out of Dongguan to Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) in Kazakhstan.

But the Feb. 4-8 event was later postponed after Kazakhstan declined to serve as substitute hosts.

BADMINTON

* The Feb. 25 to March 1 China Masters tournament in Hainan was postponed after several players withdrew. The BWF said it hoped the flagship Badminton Asia Championships could still go ahead in Wuhan from April 21-26.

* China and Hong Kong were forced to withdraw from the Feb. 11-16 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Manila, organizers said. 

BOXING

* The International Olympic Committee announced Jordan as hosts of the boxing qualifiers for Asia and Oceania after an event in Wuhan was canceled. It will now take place in Amman from March 3 to 11.

BASKETBALL

* The International Basketball Federation moved the Feb. 6-9 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers to be held in Foshan to Belgrade.

* The FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifying match between Japan and China, to be held in Chiba on Feb. 21, has been postponed. Other matches called off were Philippines vs Thailand (Feb. 20) and China vs. Malaysia (Feb. 24).

GOLF

* The elite women’s LPGA golf tour canceled the March 5-8 Blue Bay tournament to be held on Hainan.

The tour also canceled the Honda LPGA Thailand event in Pattaya scheduled for Feb. 20-23 and the Feb. 27-March 1 HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.

* The PGA Tour Series-China postponed two qualifying tournaments and delayed the start of its 2020 campaign by two months, cutting the number of regular season tournaments to 10 from 14.

HOCKEY

* Hockey Pro League matches between China and Australia, scheduled for March 14-15 in Changzhou, will not be played.

RUGBY SEVENS

* The Singapore and Hong Kong legs of the World Rugby Sevens Series have been postponed from April to October.

Source: Reuters