F1 Shanghai Grand Prix heads list of China sports events under threat before coronavirus peak

Formula One’s Shanghai Grand Prix in April heads the list of high-profile international sporting events that are set to take place in China during the months before the coronavirus reaches its expected peak in early May. China’s battle against the coronavirus outbreak has already seen several sporting events postponed or moved out of the country. Wuhan, the city where the virus was first reported, has lost Olympic boxing qualifiers to Amman, Jordan, and the women’s football qualifying tournament first to Nanjing and now to Sydney. Further afield, Foshan, Guangdong province, has seen the Tokyo 2020 women’s basketball qualifiers moved to Belgrade, while Hainan has cancelled Top Rank’s debut boxing match in China fight. The Asian Indoor Athletics championships set for Hangzhou have also been cancelled. Cycling’s Tour of Hainan, which was scheduled for February 23 to March 1, has also been cancelled. The International Cycling Union said that it could be rescheduled later in the year. The diving World Series cancelled its China leg set for Beijing from March 7 to 9. Cornel Marculescu, president of the international swimming federation, told AFP on Monday that synchronised swimming’s China event, scheduled for Suzhou from April 23-25 is also in doubt. Tokyo 2020 wrestling qualification is another doubt. The event, which is set to be held in Xi’an from March 27-29, could be moved outside China. “We are following the situation closely and we are in close contact with the Chinese federation and local authorities,” Nenad Lalovic, president of the International Wrestling Federation, told AFP on Monday, with a decision to be made in early February. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and South Korea have all offered to host. Meanwhile, alpine skiing’s World Cup event set for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics site from February 12-16 is as yet unaffected. Sarah Lewis of the International Ski Federation, described the event site, which is 50km outside the city, as “low risk” but said plans would change if the situation worsened. ‘Draconian measures’ urged as research estimates 44,000 virus cases in Wuhan The number of events affected is only expected to grow as the number of cases of infections rise. Hong Kong University researchers have suggested infections will peak in late April and early May, meaning several planned events could be affected. A statement from motorsport body GMAC published last week said the General Administration for Sport had suggested cancelling sporting events until April. That statement was subsequently removed from the website. However, several of China’s domestic leagues have been postponed, with the Chinese Super League confirming an April rather than March start date and the Chinese Basketball Association on hiatus. Speculation has already started that the Formula One Shanghai Grand Prix in April may be affected. Organisers Formula 1 and the FIA have not yet commented on the coronavirus and their plans. Elsewhere, The Guardian reported that world indoor championships organisers World Athletics are staying on top of the situation ahead of their event in Nanjing in March. “World Athletics is monitoring this situation carefully and is in close contact with the World Health Organisation,” a spokesperson said. “Should any of the WHO advice affect plans for the World Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020, we will notify all our stakeholders promptly.” A Formula E spokesperson told Motorsportweek that their Sanya race on March 21 is going ahead as planned in a statement made following the GMAC’s cancellation of the Changbaishan rally. “As it stands, the race in Sanya on March 21 is still scheduled to go ahead as planned. The uncertainty stemmed from an incorrect statement issued locally in China, which published wrong and misleading information and has since been removed. “Given the current health concerns, we are continuing to closely monitor the situation as it develops on a daily basis.” Upcoming China events: World Cup Alpine Skiing, Beijing – February 12-16 Tour of Hainan Cycling, Hainan – February 23 – March 1 – cancelled World Series Diving, Beijing – March 7-9 – cancelled World Indoor Athletics Championships, Nanjing – March 13-15 Formula E, Sanya – March 21 China vs Maldives, Fifa World Cup Qualifier, location TBD – March 26 Tokyo 2020 Wrestling Asia Qualifiers, Xi’an – March 27-29 China Open Snooker, Beijing – March 30–April 5 F1 Shanghai Grand Prix, Shanghai – April 17-19 Badminton Asia Championships, Wuhan – April 21-26 World Series Synchronised Swimming, Suzhou – April 23-25 China Open Golf, Shenzhen – April 23-26 Chengdu ITU Mixed Relay Olympic Triathlon Qualification, Chengdu – May 9-10 Diamond League Athletics, Shanghai – May 10 China Open Table Tennis, Shenzhen – May 12-17