China women’s football team quarantined

BRISBANE: China women’s football team has been quarantined in a Brisbane hotel over fears about the deadly coronavirus after arriving for an Olympic qualifying competition.

Queensland state chief health officer Jeannette Young said no one from the group, reportedly 32-strong including officials and staff, had shown any symptoms and that the quarantine was a precautionary measure.

“There is absolutely no risk to anyone else in that hotel or to the staff in that hotel, these people are all well,” she was quoted as saying by broadcaster ABC.

“(The team have) been extremely cooperative, as has the Chinese consulate.”

“If any of these footballers develop any symptoms we will of course be taking them immediately to one of our hospitals... to be immediately assessed and tested and isolated,” she added.

Reports said the team arrived in Australia via Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak and where the Olympic qualifying tournament was originally due to be held. The event, which also involves Australia, Taiwan and Thailand, was shifted out of China to Sydney, with matches scheduled to be played next week.

China’s football association said four players, including Wuhan-based star midfielder Wang Shuang, had been forced to miss the trip because they were in quarantine at home, although none was showing symptoms of the coronavirus.

It added that the team had been tested for the virus and “the results were all negative”.

In a statement Wednesday, Australian football chiefs said ticket sales had been halted after advice from medical experts that they believe the virus is contagious before people show symptoms.

WORLD CUP SKIING IN CHINA CALLED OFF

PARIS: The World Cup skiing races in the Chinese resort of Yanqing, the first test events for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, have been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak, organisers said.

CHINESE CLUBS’ HOME GAMES TO BE SWAPPED

KUALALUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has changed the order of home matches to be played by Chinese clubs in AFC Champions League group stage due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus in the country.

The move follows consultation with the Chinese Football Association (CFA) and means that home games of the four Chinese clubs on the first three match days will be rescheduled and played away by swapping the order with their opponents.