Updated: Coronavirus Postpones ITTF, Tokyo 2020 Events

(ATR) The coronavirus outbreak has forced the last-minute postponement of two events in two countries outside of China.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), following the news of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Busan, South Korea, on Friday postponed the draw for the Hana Bank 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships scheduled in the city for Saturday.

The event, to be held from March 22-29 in Busan, could yet be affected as well.

The ITTF says an emergency contingency meeting between the ITTF Senior Management, the Korea Table Tennis Association (KTTA) and city of Busan representatives will be held on Saturday. Following that meeting, the ITTF Executive Committee will discuss the status of the event.

In Japan, Tokyo 2020 organizers on Friday postponed training for field cast positions (volunteers) scheduled for Saturday.

The decision was made "as part of efforts to prevent the spread of infection of the novel coronavirus", according to Tokyo 2020.

Organizers hinted at more potential postponements in the future, saying "we will also evaluate the immediate need for each Games-related event on a case by case basis" as required by the Japanese government policy for preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

Some test events have already been altered or cancelled ahead of the Olympics, which are set to begin on July 24.

"There are no considerations of cancelling the Games nor will the postponements of these activities have an impact on the overall Games preparation," Tokyo 2020 reiterated again on Friday.

The Japanese government continues to say that the Games will go ahead as planned. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga on Friday said Japan has the "full confidence" of the IOC during a press briefing.

Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori says he doesn’t plan on wearing a mask despite the coronavirus outbreak.

In an interview with the Japanese sports newspaper Sponichi Annex, Mori said "I pray to God every day that the coronavirus will just vanish".

The virus has killed more than 2,200 people in China, with more than 75,000 infected.

According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 1,000 confirmed cases in 26 other countries, with eight deaths reported.

Modern Pentathlon Flagship Event Moves to Mexico

The coronavirus outbreak is forcing a number of changes to the Modern Pentathlon schedule.

UIPM, the governing federation for the sport, announced on Friday that the flagship competition for the 2020 season will be moving from Xiamen, China to Cancun, Mexico.

The UIPM says this ensures that all the major competitions of the season will be held at sea level and provides a strong contingency solution for the final Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification event.

The dates for the UIPM 2020 Modern Pentathlon World Championships will remain from May 25-31. But the Laser Run World Championships, which were also scheduled for the same time in Xiamen, will be moved to August, where they will be combined with the UIPM 2020 Biathle/Triathle World Championships in Weiden, Germany.

Xiamen has accepted an offer to host the 2022 edition of thePentathlon and Laser Run World Championships. Minsk, Belarus had already been confirmed as the 2021 host city.

As of now, UIPM does not have any plans to move the federation's 2020 Congress and Annual Awards, which are scheduled to take place in Xiamen from November 13-15. UIPM says it will monitor the travel situation closely and discuss the matter with all relevant authorities in the coming months.

Homepage photo: Wikimedia Commons

Written by Gerard Farek

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