With AFP
Table tennis worlds adjourned, football matches postponed or behind closed doors: the coronavirus epidemic has continued to shake up the Asian sports calendar, mainly in Japan and South Korea, a few months before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In China, the epicenter of the epidemic, the football championship which was due to start on February 22 has been postponed as well as "competitions of all types and at all levels".
In Japan, where the Olympic Games will be held, concern is mounting
In the Japanese archipelago, the Japanese Football Federation has announced the postponement of all scheduled matches until March 15, after initially announcing the postponement of seven matches in its National Cup scheduled for Wednesday. This Wednesday, the organizers of the Davis Cup announced that the meeting between Japan and Ecuador will be played behind closed doors next week. And the governing body of Japanese sumo announced Wednesday that it will meet urgently to decide on the possible postponement of a big sold out tournament to be held in Osaka (west) from March 8. The idolized stars of sumo have already taken their precautions, refraining from shaking hands or wearing surgical masks when meeting with fans. In Japan, the coronavirus has so far infected 691 people, including four fatally, passengers on the liner Diamond Princess, quarantined near the port of Yokohama, and 156 others in different provinces of the archipelago.
In South Korea, many competitions postponed
In South Korea, the Table Tennis Team World Championships, scheduled to take place next month in the South Korean city of Busan, were also postponed on Tuesday due to inflation in coronavirus cases. The competition, originally scheduled for March 22 to 29, was rescheduled from June 21 to 28, according to a schedule that is still tentative. As for football, two matches of the Asian Champions League scheduled for next week will be played behind closed doors. As of Monday, the kickoff of the South Korean football championship had already been postponed. The volleyball, basketball and handball federations have taken similar steps. South Korean health officials announced 60 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people infected with the disease to 893.
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Italian football very disturbed
In Europe, too, the threat of the virus is beginning to loom over competitions. Four matches of the Italian football championship were postponed last weekend, and six matches of the next day will also be held in empty stadiums, including the clash between Juventus Turin and Inter Milan, Sunday. Interistes will also play in front of completely empty stands as a precaution during the Europa League match, against the Bulgarians in Ludogorets, Thursday. In France, the Professional Football League confirmed to Le Figaro that it "is following the situation very closely" and that it will apply the decisions taken by the public authorities.
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Threat to Ireland-Italy and Italy-England of the Six Nations Tournament
The Six Nations Tournament may also be disrupted. Italy were to host England in their last match on March 14, but the fate of the match is uncertain after the postponement of several matches in Serie A football and Pro 14 rugby this weekend. Several media also revealed that Italy's match against Ireland on March 7 in Dublin was also a source of concern. “Weekend activities have shown that there is still an awful lot of unknown stuff about the coronavirus and the path it could take. There will be big decisions in the coming days. In particular, I am thinking of the Ireland-Italy match, "said Irish Health Minister Simon Harris in The Guardian . The arrival of Italian supporters should be banned altogether ... A position which contrasts with that of France which did not oppose the arrival of Italian supporters for the Champions League shock Wednesday between OL and Juventus Turin . 3000 tifosi from Piedmont are expected on Wednesday.
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