Coronavirus: world table tennis championships in Busan suspended after hike in South Korean cases
- World governing body to postpone major event till June as it monitors situation
- Hong Kong paddlers can enjoy short break to sharpen conditioning ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Hong Kong stand to benefit from the suspension of next month’s team world championships in Busan, South Korea, after organisers decided to postpone the tournament after a drastic increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the host nation.
The International Table Tennis Federation said on Tuesday that in light of the emerging situation in South Korea and to best preserve the health and safety of players, officials and fans, the 2020 worlds have been postponed with the dates of June 21-28 provisionally reserved while it monitored the situation in the coming weeks.
This came after news of the first confirmed cases in Busan last week. An emergency contingency meeting was held between the governing bodies over the weekend to discuss the status of the event.
Head table tennis coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute Chan Kong-wah said they had prepared for the decision after witnessing a rapid surge in confirmed virus cases in South Korea and was hopeful the players could make use of the opportunity to sharpen their conditioning ahead of the Olympics.
“We have been playing quite a lot these days and it would be great for the players to take a break and focus on some finer aspects of their game,” said the coach. “This is particularly good for our mixed doubles pair as they need to improve in some areas if they are to challenge for a medal at the Olympics.”