THE Asia and Oceania boxing qualifier for Tokyo 2020 in Wuhan has been canceled by local organizers because of the outbreak of a new coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
In a statement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) boxing task force confirmed the decision from organizers and said it would “work with the Chinese Olympic Committee and all partners to explore alternatives.”
The event is set to be relocated either to another city or country.
“The IOC boxing task force noted today’s decision of the Local Organizing Committee to cancel the Asian/Oceanian Tokyo 2020 boxing qualifying event which was due to take place in Wuhan from 3 to 14 February 2020, amid growing concerns in relation to the coronavirus outbreak reported in the city,” the task force said.
The decision came after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) moved one of its qualifiers for the women’s tournament at Tokyo 2020 from Wuhan to Nanjing amid concerns over the spread of the virus, which has killed 17 people.
The AFC said Group B of the third round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament would now be held at the Jiangning Football Training Centre.
A four-nation Asian qualifying group for the women’s soccer tournament was switched from the city at the center of the health scare to Nanjing.
The decisions followed Chinese health authorities telling people in Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings.
The AFC said the round-robin group—featuring host China, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand—will be played from February 3 to 9, retaining the same dates, in Nanjing.
More than 500 people have been infected and at least 17 killed since the outbreak emerged last month. The illness comes from a newly identified type of coronavirus.
Cases have also been reported in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. All involve people from Wuhan or who recently traveled there.
In the soccer qualifiers in China, two teams advance to a four-nation playoff round in March. That will decide which two teams from Asia join host Japan at the Tokyo Olympics. Insidethegames and AP
Image credits: AP