On Monday, golf’s LPGA Tour became the latest official sports association to cancel major events on the 2020 calendar in the wake of growing concerns regarding the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
With this month’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and the LPGA Thailand called off, the US LPGA Tour has now been forced to scrap three of its most lucrative early-season events in Asia after China’s Blue Bay tournament was cancelled 10 days prior.
“It is always a difficult decision to cancel events and the LPGA greatly appreciates the understanding and all the efforts made by our title sponsors (Honda and HSBC) as well as IMG to host incredible events for our players,” an official statement said. “The health and safety of our players, fans and everyone working on the event is always our highest priority.”
Now one of countless events to be called off, the LPGA Tour statement echoes those heard since the outbreak of the coronavirus, which according to the latest figures, has claimed the lives of over 900 people, with more than 40,000 people believed to be infected.
Chinese women’s football team in quarantine
Chinese sport has been hit the hardest following the outbreak in Wuhan. Seasons have been set back, while events such as the Hong Kong Marathon or the Chinese Formula-E Grand Prix have been called off “after close consultation” with government authorities.
The country has suspended all domestic football, postponing the start of the top-flight Chinese Super League campaign, which was due to kick off on February 22, but the impacts have been continental too.
The pan-Asian AFC Champions League begins this week. As a result of the virus though, four Chinese clubs’ home group matches have been pushed back until at least April. The Chinese national team’s upcoming fixtures with the Maldives and Guam in March have also come under question, but it’s the women’s team who have born the brunt of the fallout.
With the women’s Olympic qualifying event between China, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia moved from Wuhan to Sydney, China women’s football team found themselves quarantined in their Brisbane hotel for two weeks upon arrival in Australia.
“We have faced some difficulties since we arrived here in Australia,” said head coach Jia Xiuquan, whose side were eventually given the all-clear to compete. They have since picked up back-to-back wins in the event which will finish later this week.
Better safe than sorry
With the wider sporting community putting precautionary plans in place and some calls for the cancellation of the Toyko Olympics, it remains to be seen how far-reaching the effect of the coronavirus outbreak will be in 2020.
Formula 1 are still “closely monitoring” the situation ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix in April, but the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships, due to take place from 13-15 March, has been postponed.
“The advice from our medical team, who are in contact with the World Health Organisation, is that the spread of the coronavirus both within China and outside the country is still at a concerning level and no one should be going ahead with any major gathering that can be postponed,“ read a statement from World Athletics.
The event which was due to take place in Nanjing will now take place in 12 months’ time on account of fears over the spread of the coronavirus. German athlete Malaika Mihambo was due to defend her long-jump title, but told German broadcaster ZDF the “right decision” had been made with the Indoor Championships.
“Of course it’s a shame when you can’t start the indoor season because one of the highest-quality competitions can’t take place,” the 26-year-old said. “Considering the virus, the risk of infection and the fast, rapid spread, it is of course the right decision.”
With health experts struggling to control the outbreak, the sports world has been left in limbo. Whether a short-term or long-term problem, athletes may look to take comfort in the sensible and pragmatic approach being taken by those responsible for their safety and wellbeing.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
The German chancellor in Wuhan
In 2019, Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the Webasto plant in Wuhan, China. The factory is now closed. The medical tech division of Siemens, on the other hand, does not anticipate increasing demand for its X-ray machines and computer tomographs. “I wouldn’t overestimate the short-term opportunity to do business with it. It doesn’t go that quickly,” said Siemens Healthineers CEO Bernd Montag.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
Clean, clean, clean
Chemical companies on the other hand see an opportunity. Lanxess is seeing increased demand for its disinfectant Rely+On Virkon. The antiseptic is used to disinfect hard surfaces and equipment and can be effective against the coronavirus and, especially in China, it will be used more, the company said. Currently they are working to deliver additional quantities as quickly as possible.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
Eating in: Shops and restaurants
At Yum China’s fast food chains KFC and Pizza Hut the doors are closed. Luckin Coffee is also offline. The Swedish fashion chain HM closed about 45 branches in China and the jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss about half of its stores. However, experts assume that the effects on many stores will be small as a lot of their business is now done online.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
Adidas and Nike on watch
Like US competitor Nike, German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas temporarily closed many of its own stores in China. In addition, franchise business will be closely monitored. However, it is still too early to assess the effects. In any case, there will be no big advertising events like this one with French soccer star Paul Pogba in Hong Kong 2017.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
Carmakers particularly at risk
The epidemic could have “an enormous economic impact,” especially for the German car industry, according to car industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. Volkswagen’s 33 plants (here the group’s own test track in Xinjiang) and its joint ventures in China will remain closed until the weekend, but so far planned deliveries are not at risk.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
No one is really safe
At Daimler, maker of the Mercedes brand (here a Maybach on show in Beijing), the majority of Chinese production is due to start again next Monday. However, the company is increasingly focusing on having people work from home. At BMW, production in Shenyang is also expected to start again on Monday. Distributors are now already working from home, too.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
Honda remains cautious
Japanese carmaker Honda plans to keep its three car plants in Wuhan closed longer for the Chinese New Year holiday. The plants, which are operated together with Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng, will stay idle until at least February 13, a spokesman said. It is not yet clear whether production will then restart, as the company will follow the guidelines of the local authorities.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
Supplies are not being replenished
The virus is increasingly becoming a problem for complex global interlinked supply chains. The auto industry is a good example of this. The South Korean manufacturer Hyundai will suspend all of its domestic production this week, because necessary parts that are normally delivered from China are not coming. Analysts believe that similar problems will soon affect many companies.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
The Chinese are staying away
Some impacts are already noticeable in Germany, too. Partly because of the risk of infection, fewer visitors are expected at the “Ambiente” consumer goods fair in Frankfurt. This is partially the result of the reduced flight connections from China, said a spokesman for the trade fair organizer. Lufthansa and other international airlines have cut their connections to mainland China.
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Which industries have already been hit by the coronavirus?
It’s Germany. Always be prepared!
A quarantine hall at Frankfurt Airport has already been set up for coronavirus evacuees. In 2018, there were more than 1 million people who arrived from China. Most passengers from China arriving in Germany usually land in Frankfurt. The most important Chinese hubs with connections to Germany are the airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. There are no direct flights to and from Wuhan.
Author: Dirk Kaufmann
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-chaos-forces-widespread-sporting-cancelations/a-52328912?maca=en-rss-en-sports-1027-xml-atom
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