Coronavirus Update: Americas Olympic Boxing Qualifier Cancelled

Editors note: all of these decisions were made prior to the announcement on Wednesday by the World Health Organization that the coronavirus outbreak is now considered a pandemic.

(ATR) The Olympic boxing qualifier for the Americas, scheduled to run from March 26-April 3 in Buenos Aires, is the latest sporting event to be cancelled due to the coronavirus.

The IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) said in a statement that the decision was "due to the outbreak of Coronavirus and recent measures taken by the Argentine government".

A source close to the organizers tells Around the Rings that "a new date and new venue could be known sometime today".

The BTF, which took over the organizing of the Tokyo 2020 boxing tournament after AIBA was suspended by the IOC last summer, now faces the difficult task of completing the qualification process for all five regions.

The African qualifying event has been completed and the one for Asia and Oceania, rescheduled from Wuhan, China to Amman, Jordan, ends on March 11.

The European qualifier is still scheduled for London from March 13-23 but given the spread of COVID-19 that could be delayed as well.

A final qualifier for those who don’t make it through their continental event is on the calendar for Paris from May 13.

Taekwondo Olympic Qualifying Behind Closed Doors

The Taekwondo Olympic qualifying event for the Americas is underway but being held without spectators in Heredia, Costa Rica.

Athletes from 38 countries are competing for 16 spots in the Olympic Games in Tokyo and six for the Paralympics.

The event was allowed to go on behind closed doors despite a temporary suspension of local sports activities. The Costa Rican government has announced 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus with another 179 suspected to have the disease.

FIS Cancels Final Women's Alpine Event

The 2019-2020 Women's Alpine World Cup season is over.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced on Wednesday that the final event of the season in Are, Sweden was cancelled after new recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Sweden to fight coronavirus.

The races in Are, which were to run from March 12-14, will not be replaced. FIS on March 6 cancelled the traditional season-ending World Cup Finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo because of the ongoing battle with COVID-19.

As of now, the final men's event of the season in Slovenia is still on for this weekend, though it will be held without spectators.

UEFA, FIFA Choose Separate Paths

European soccer’s governing body is not ready to call off its competitions due to coronavirus, but government restrictions are forcing UEFA to postpone certain matches.

Two matches in the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League will not take place on Thursday. UEFA on Wednesday cited travel restrictions between Spain and Italy imposed by Spanish authorities as the reason for postponing Italian side AS Roma’s game in Spain against Sevilla and Spanish club Getafe’s game in Italy against Inter Milan.

UEFA says it will communicate further decisions on the two matches "in due course".

Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that UEFA wants governments across Europe to ensure that the European Championship, scheduled to be held in 12 stadiums in 12 countries, goes ahead as planned from June 12 to July 12 this summer.

UEFA told AP on Tuesday that there have been no requests to move or cancel the tournament.

FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, appears to be taking a different tack when it comes to the coronavirus.

The 70th FIFA Congress, scheduled for a week before Euro 2020 begins, was postponed on Wednesday from June 5 to Sept. 18 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The FIFA Council meeting set for March 20 has been pushed back to either June or July, either in Zurich or via videoconference.

Sailing Event in Italy Cancelled

World Sailing on Wednesday announced the cancellation of the 2020 Hempel World Cup Series Genoa.

The event in the Italian city was scheduled for April 11-19. The Italian government on Monday put the entire country under quarantine to contain the spread of COVID-19. All sporting competitions have been shuttered until at least April 3.

Hempel World Cup Series Genoa was to be the final opportunity for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification for African, Asian and European sailors in a number of the Olympic Sailing Events. The IOC has granted World Sailing an extension of the qualification period to June 30.

The federation says it is now working in close collaboration with the IOC and Event Organizers to reschedule the remaining African, Asian and European Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers and to ensure that all quota places can be allocated.

Badminton Tournament in India Still on Calendar

The YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2020 in New Delhi remains on the schedule.

But the Badminton World Federation (BWF) says it’s likely the tournament, set for March 24-29, will be staged behind closed doors.

The BWF and Badminton Association of India (BAI) confirmed the decision on Wednesday after BAI consulted experts over the past few days regarding advisories issued by health authorities in India.

The tournament is a Super 500 event on the HSBC BWF World Tour and falls within the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifying period.

The decision to stage the tournament came just hours before the World Health Organization (WHO) began describing the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. There could be a change of plans yet.

Written by Gerard Farek

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