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The fast spreading virus has now affected over 100,000 people, killing almost 3500 of them across 97 countries as suggested by the latest reports. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has suggested the spread as deeply concerning. The COVID-19 is spreading across countries at an alarming rate. Along with many other aspects, the outbreak has also affected various global sports events.
Before we start our list of the major sporting events that have been postponed because of the coronavirus, let us have a look at some other events that didn't make the list but are as important as the ones on it.
Many European leagues including Serie A will be having matches without any fans for a month or so. In addition to this, 10 Serie A matches have been postponed too. AFC Cup matches along with many 2022 World Cup Asia qualifiers have also been postponed. Some Davis Cup and Fed Cup matches featuring Asian players have also been either moved or postponed. Three golf tournaments with a combined prize pool of more than $5 million have also been cancelled.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics is also facing a risk of getting pushed further. The event is set to take place from July 24 till August 9, 2020. There hasn't been any official statement yet, but the possibility of delay is increasing exponentially. If we talk about cricket, the Indian Premier League is all set to kick start on March 29, but with several positive tests across the country, the schedule may get affected.
On that note, let's commence the list.
#1 Table Tennis World Championship
The 2020 World Table Tennis Championships were scheduled to be held in Busan, South Korea from March 22-29. But following the news about the positive cases of the virus in Busan, the International Table Tennis Association (ITTA) has decided to postpone the event. Thus far, the event has been postponed to take place from June 21-28. Increasing seriousness of the epidemic can further push the dates.
The Championships involve events for both men and women. There are a total of 72 teams each in men and women competitions. Around 3000 athletes and team officials from about 130 countries are participating.
#2 Archery World Cup
The schedule for the Archery World Cup 2020 consists of four stages. The second of which was to take place in Shanghai, China from May 4-10. However, following the travel restrictions caused by coronavirus outbreak, the second stage will now be held in Antalya, Turkey. The event is also postponed by a week as the new dates are from May 11-17.
Now Shanghai will rather host the final of the World Cup. It was scheduled to take place on September 26-27, but the dates may be changed later if the conditions regarding the virus do not improve.
#3 World Athletics Indoor Championships
From March 13-15, Nanjing in China was scheduled to host the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships. But following the virus outbreak, the championships have been postponed to next year. The event will now take place from 19-21 March, 2021. It included 14 different events featuring men and women athletes from all over the globe. 12 events are for both men and women. Heptathlon is for men only, while the pentathlon event is restricted only to women.
#4 Formula 1
Formula 1 is one of the biggest, globe-trotting motorsport championship held every year. This season was supposed to be the longest in terms of number of races (22), scheduled to take place across 5 continents between March and November. However, the Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed as of now. The race day for the Chinese Grand Prix was April 19. It is still not known whether the Shanghai International Circuit will host the event this year or not. The 5.451 km long circuit was the most expensive facility in Formula 1 when it was completed in 2004. Since then, this circuit has hosted the event every single year. It is still be found out whether it will do the same for a straight 17th time or not.
In addition to Formula 1, the schedule for MotoGP has also been updated. In the wake of the widespread ramifications, the two opening rounds, Qatar and Thailand which were supposed to take place on March 8 and March 22 respectively, have been cancelled.
The hope is to find a quick solution to this problem and a return to normalcy of life an sporting events around the world.
