Coronavirus: all the major international sports events affected by the epidemic

An increasing number of high-profile sporting events have been cancelled, postponed or moved

Coronavirus pandemic

Reuters

Published: 12:22pm, 10 Feb 2020

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Coronavirus continues to lay waste to the international sporting calendar at the beginning of 2020. Hong Kong sport has been badly affected by the outbreak but so has the region and, increasingly, the wider sporting community.

The following is a list of international sports events affected by the coronavirus that has killed over 1,000 people and infected more than 43,000 so far in China after it first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, late last year:

Athletics

The World Athletics Indoor Championships, which had been scheduled to take place in Nanjing from March 13-15, were postponed until next year. World Athletics is working with organisers to settle on a date to host the biennial event in 2021.

The Asian Athletics Association cancelled its February 12-13 indoor championships in Hangzhou.

Football

AFC 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 and rearranged to be held in Australia by the AFC.

Vietnam’s government said it would not allow the country to host sporting events 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 February 11 while Than Quang Ninh meet Ceres Negros on February 25 in the Philippines.

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

Hong Kong’s only public golf course shuts for two weeks after infected customer visits

Motor racing

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

The move also puts Formula One in the spotlight, with Shanghai due to host the Chinese Grand Prix on April 19.

Hong Kong Soccer Sevens cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak

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

Badminton

The February 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 February 11-16 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Manila, organisers said.

Hong Kong Marathon cancelled in wake of coronavirus outbreak

Boxing

The International Olympic Committee announced Jordan as hosts of the Tokyo 2020 boxing qualifiers for Asia and Oceania after the original event in Wuhan was cancelled. It will now take place in Amman from March 3 to 11.

Basketball

The International Basketball Federation moved the February 6-9 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers, which were scheduled to be held in Foshan, China, to Belgrade.

The FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifying match between China and Malaysia that was set to be held in Foshan on February 24 will be rescheduled.

Golf

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

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

The PGA Tour Series-China moved its February 25-28 global qualifying tournament to Lagoi, Indonesia from Haikou.

Hockey

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

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) had previously postponed China’s match against Belgium that was to be played on February 9 at the same venue. The FIH is looking into the possibility of China playing their games at an alternate venue.

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