The outcome of the Six Nations Tournament could be shaken up by the coronavirus epidemic. According to several British media reports, the next two meetings of Italy, the third country most affected by the virus in the world, are closely watched by the organizers of the main rugby competition in the northern hemisphere.
First meeting concerned: Ireland-Italy on March 7 in Dublin. "The events of the weekend have shown that there are still a lot of unknown things about the coronavirus and the path it could take, warned the Irish Minister for Health on Monday. There will be big decisions in the coming days. More specifically, I am thinking of the Ireland-Italy match. Transalpine supporters could be denied travel to the island.
But the most sensitive case concerns the Italians' final match, in Rome against England on March 14. "We are closely monitoring this situation and are in contact with the FIR (Italian federation) and all the other federations, as well as with the local authorities and the health organizations concerned," said a spokesperson for the Tournament.
VIDEO. Coronavirus in Italy: "No one can enter or leave the red zone"
From there to shift what should have been the last match of the former player of the French Stadium Sergio Parisse with Italy? It would not be a first. In 2001, several Tournament games were played in the fall due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
In recent days, the Italian championship games scheduled for next weekend have been rescheduled, as has the final postponed to June 6. The women's tournament match, scheduled for Sunday February 23 in Lombardy, has been postponed. In cycling, the organizers of the famous spring race, Milan-San Remo, plan to cancel the event.
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This Tuesday, the Japanese Football Federation announced the postponement of all matches scheduled until March 15, in the league and in the Cup. The Table Tennis Team Worlds, scheduled to take place March 22-29 in the South Korean city of Busan, were rescheduled by the International Federation (ITTF) from June 21-28.
