Formula 1, MotoGP, the Olympic Games … Sport, in suspense for the coronavirus

Thursday,
30
January
2020

22:14

Tokyo (Japan), 01/16/2020.- Pedestrians watch the Olympic Rings ...

The Olympic rings of Tokyo, this month.
KIMIMASA MAYAMA EFE

The coronavirus is gradually forcing to change headquarters or postpone all international sporting events that were to be held in China in these first months of 2020. First was the Women's Olympic Olympic, who were going to play four selections (including Spain) from February 6 to 9 in Foshan. The town is located 1,000 kilometers from Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, but only 20 from Guangzhou, the third most important population in the country with twelve million inhabitants and where cases of infection have already been recorded. The tournament, in which the selection try to get one of the three seats available for the Tokyo Olympics, will finally be played in Belgrade.

The FIBA He made this decision after carefully assessing the development of the coronavirus outbreak, according to his statement. It is the best possible decision for guarantee the health of our athletesI recognized Jorge Garbajosa, president of the Federation.

On Thursday it was also learned that the powerful Chinese basketball league (CBA) has postponed its season because of the epidemic. Thus, its players are free to return to Euroleague or even NBA teams. .

The next event to be modified has been the World Indoor Athletics Championships, which should have been held in the city of Nanjing from March 13 to 15, but has been suspended due to the spread of the virus. The advice of our medical team, which is in contact with the World Health Organization, is that the spread of the coronavirus both within China and outside the country is still at a worrying level and no one should move forward with any important event, explained World Athletics, the governing body of international athletics.

A speech that begins to penetrate the different agencies and responsible for the different events that are going to take place in China. The Super League Soccer has been postponed, as well as proof of Alpine skiing World Cup in Siaohaituo, the Cycling tour to Hainan, the boxing tournament to get a place for Tokyo (Wuhan), the women's football pre-Olympic (Wuhan) … Even the Chinese League of Legends video game league, the most followed in the world.

In April, the country plans to host two tests of the Diamond League Athletics, a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Shanghai and a GP of Formula E in Hainan. The world of motor travel before Thailand (MotoGP) and Vietnam (F1), countries that have already been affected by the epidemic. We follow the evolution closely and are in contact with the authorities. We will evaluate the calendar and, if necessary, take the relevant actions to protect the motor community and its public, announced the International Automobile Federation.

And, in the distance, the Tokyo Olympics, which will be disputed July 24 to August 9 in Japan, where authorities have already confirmed eleven cases of contagion. We will have more information about the risk of infection and we can prepare and take precautions. But I hope we can celebrate them as planned, acknowledged Koji Wada, professor of public health at the University of Tokyo and co-author in 2018 of a book on the risks of these Games for the health of visitors. Wada says that a vaccine is probably not ready against the coronavirus before summer, but wait for enough time to get defenses to contain it.

Beyond the Games, at the end of the year East Asia and Southeast Asia will receive two Grand Prix awards over Formula 1 (Singapore and Japan), one of MotoGP (Motegi, Japan), the Badmintn's China Open, the WTA Tennis Finals (Shenzhen, China), the Japan Rally and the Badmintn World Tour Finals in Guangzhou (China).

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