The coronavirus epidemic continued to wreak havoc on the international sporting calendar on Saturday, when the Lingshui China Masters badminton tournament, part of the qualifying process for the Tokyo Olympics, was postponed.
Organizers made the decision to put off the event, which was scheduled from Feb. 25 to March 1 in Hainan, after a number of players withdrew.
“The Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) can confirm the decision to postpone the Lingshui China Masters 2020 ... in the wake of growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in China and surrounding areas,” the BWF statement said.
“BWF and CBA have considered all necessary health, safety and logistical risks and both parties believe it is sensible to postpone the tournament at this time,” it said.
The tournament was likely to be moved to a new date in May, but ranking points earned at the rescheduled event would no longer count toward Olympic qualification, the federation said.
The number of deaths from the coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan in China’s Hubei Province, rose by 46 to 259 on Friday, the country’s health authority said yesterday.
The BWF said it hoped the flagship Badminton Asia Championships might still go ahead in Wuhan from April 21 to 26.
“It is ... too early at this time to make any final conclusions related to this event,” the statement said.
“The 2020 Badminton Asia Championships falls within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification window and is one of the last opportunities for athletes to qualify for the Olympics Games,” it said.
China on Thursday suspended all domestic soccer and postponed indefinitely the top-flight Chinese Super League season, which was to start on Feb. 22 to “carry out prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic,” the Chinese Football Association said.
The World Indoor Championships, scheduled for Nanjing from March 13 to 15, were postponed for a year.
Additional reporting by AFP
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