Coronavirus Spreads to the Sports World
Image courtesy of sportsillustrated.com
By VICTORIA CHOO ‘21
The coronavirus is putting an abrupt halt to many important sporting events scheduled to take place in China. With thousands of confirmed cases and over 420 people dead, the deadly virus is steadily causing panic around the world—and the sporting community is no exception.
The International Track Federation recently announced that it would postpone the World Indoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled to take place in Nanjing this March, until 2021. Likewise, World Cup ski races set to take place in Yanqing this February have also been postponed, with no rescheduled date set as of yet.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, officials from the International Track Federation released a statement saying, “The advice from our medical team, who are 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 concerning level and no one should be going ahead with any major gathering that can be postponed.”
Organizers of these events aren’t taking any chances. Olympic qualifying matches in boxing, women’s soccer, and women’s basketball have all been moved to different continents.
After the decision to move Olympic qualifying soccer matches to Sydney, Australia, Football Federation Australia chief executive Chris Nikou said, “The safety of all players, officials and fans is of paramount importance to Football Federation Australia and the Asian Football Confederation, and we are confident we will host a successful tournament here in Sydney,” in a statement reported by The Guardian.
Despite the concerns over qualifying events, Tokyo officials have no plans to cancel the upcoming Olympic games, which start in less than six months. Though Japan has no reported deaths from the respiratory disease, 20 cases of coronavirus have been identified within the country, and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has issued a statement urging travelers to refrain from visiting China. However, Tokyo Organizers told the Associated Press in a statement, "We have never discussed cancelling the games."
"Preparations for Tokyo 2020 continue as planned," the International Olympic Committee said. "It is normal practice for the IOC to collaborate with all the main UN agencies, as necessary, in the lead up to the games and this naturally includes the WHO."
The International Olympic Committee is also doing its best to fight rumors that the games have been cancelled due to the deadly outbreak. Though the Olympics are still scheduled to take place, people are concerned over the health of athletes.“The safety and health of the athletes are of foremost importance,” former Olympic Swimmer Gary Hall Jr. said in a telephone interview with The Washington Post. “If there are any precautionary steps that can be taken to put them out of harm’s way, we have to do it.”