China bans international sporting events until 2021
The Chinese Government has announced that it will halt the staging of international sports competitions for the remainder of the year, aside from test events for Beijing and Zhangjiakou’s staging of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
As reported by state news agency Xinhua, the announcement from the country’s General Administration of Sport (GSA) detailed a plan of resuming sporting events in the post Coronavirus world will be “based on science and order”.
Among a range of international events to be impacted, tennis will be a major victim of this policy with at least six events on the women’s WTA Tour and four on the men’s ATP Tour affected.
Among these will be the WTA’s showpiece end-of-season Finals in Shenzhen, set to be stage in the city for the second time after the inaugural edition in November last year.
Shenzhen holds a 10-year hosting deal with the WTA for the rights to stage the Finals from 2019 until 2028 and this year’s event was due to be held from 9th to 15th November.
Golf will also be affected with the men’s HSBC Champions from 19th October to 1st November, a World Golf Championship event held a fortnight after the women’s LPGA Shanghai.
The announcement also halts Formula 1’s planned rescheduling of the Chinese Grand Prix and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals due to be held in Guangzhou in December.
Domestically, Chinese Super League (CSL) football games and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league are currently being held behind closed doors, but the GSA’s plan has opened the door to gradually allowing fans to return.
The GSA plan advises “under the premise of the implementation of epidemic prevention measures, spectators with negative nucleic acid test results within 48 hours and strict self-isolation shall be gradually allowed to watch the matches on site. They shall be seated at intervals, with the total number not exceeding 50% of the audience capacity.”
In another Coronavirus development, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has advised that its 2020 Asia Cup has been postponed to next year.
The Twenty20 format national team event was due to have taken place in Sri Lanka in September.
Image: Shanghai's hosting of the Chinese Grand Prix now looks unlikely to happen in 2020.
Related Articles
16th June 2020 - F1 looks to stage two Grand Prix in China this year
13th June 2020 - IOC Coordination Commission praises progress on Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
25th May 2020 - Organisers report progress of venues for China’s next National Games
20th May 2020 - Global sports sponsorship market predicted to fall by 37% this year
1st May 2020 - Coronavirus has multi-billion dollar negative impact on global sport
1st May 2020 - China looks to FIFA World Cup hosting with new football stadia
22nd April 2020 - FIBO CHINA 2020 suspended to prevent spread of COVID-19
17th April 2020 - Construction starts on new Guangzhou stadium
31st March 2020 - Chinese authorities maintain spectator ban for major sports leagues
27th March 2020 - Wanda to sell Ironman for US$730 million
13th March 2020 - Chinese and Nepalese Governments close Mount Everest to climbers
4th March 2020 - Coronavirus fears sees AFL cancel Shanghai fixture
13th February 2020 - Coronavirus fears sees postponement of F1 Chinese Grand Prix
27th January 2020 - Coronavirus impacts Asian sporting events
24th January 2020 - Coronavirus sees cancellation of major events and closure of attractions in China
6th January 2020 - Chinese organisers move forward with 2022 Winter Olympics venues
3rd December 2019 - China looks to boost sport industry with potential new investment fund
1st November 2019 - Shenzhen stages first edition of WTA Finals
25th October 2019 - China blacks out coverage of opening games of NBA season
19th September 2018 - NHL looks to grow in China ahead of 2022 Winter Olympics
9th August 2018 - NBA China announces inaugural NBA Championship touring exhibition
