Virus concerns for Kiwis
Coronavirus may prevent Kiwi skier Alice Robinson proving she’s the best in the world this weekend.
The 18-year-old is in Italy to compete at the Women’s Ski World Cup at La Thuile in Aosta Valley, which is close to the French and Swiss borders.
Robinson is world No 1 in giant slalom and is fifth on the World Cup rankings.
The New Zealand boxing team is also in Italy, preparing for the
Olympic qualifying tournament starting in Amman next week.
Last week, Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali (FISI) – the Italian Winter Sports Federation – cancelled competitive snow sport events around Italy because of the threat of coronavirus.
But for now, the Women’s Ski World Cup will still go ahead.
There has been a spike in coronavirus cases in Italy this week. Yesterday, Italy reported a 45 per cent one-day increase in people infected, with the overall total being 322 confirmed cases and 11 deaths.
The majority of cases are in the north of Italy. La Thuile is in the north-west of the country.
Snow Sport NZ is in ‘‘daily contact’’ with Robinson’s coaches and support staff in the buildup to the event.
The organisation has a ‘‘close eye’’ but ‘‘no immediate concerns’’ about the threat of coronavirus.
‘‘At this stage the race is still scheduled to go ahead but we will be guided by the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the Ministry of Health in Italy,’’ a Snow Sport NZ spokesperson said.
‘‘. . . [we] trust that they will make the health and safety of all athletes and staff their priority.’’
A New Zealand contingent is also competing at the Burton US Snowboarding event in Colorado this week. Snow Sport NZ is also in daily contact with that team.
‘‘For now they are focusing on preparing for competition,’’ the spokesperson said.
Robinson will be competing in the Super-G World Cup, which starts at 10.30pm (NZ time) on Saturday.
FISI said on its website it is in close contact with government ministers regarding the spread of coronavirus.
It said it would also be in touch with relevant sporting bodies.
The New Zealand boxing team is also monitoring the spread of coronavirus, RNZ reported.
The team will stay in Italy until Saturday, before heading to Jordan for the Olympic qualifying tournament which starts next Wednesday.
Many of the other European teams preparing for the event have gone home.
New Zealand Boxing coach Billy Meehan’s main concern is the threat of borders being closed and the side not being able to make it to the qualifying tournament.
‘‘We’re a bit stuck between a rock and a hard place as the last thing we want to do is pack up and disappear,’’ he said. ‘‘We really need to try and follow this one through, get to Jordan and get the job done,’’ he told RNZ.
A number of other sporting events have also been affected by the spread of coronavirus.
Several top-league football matches have been postponed in Italy and a Six Nations women’s rugby match between Scotland and Italy has been cancelled.
The Ireland v Italy Six Nations match on March 7 is also in doubt as the Irish Rugby Football Union pushes for an ‘‘urgent’’ meeting regarding coronavirus.
Super Rugby governing body Sanzaar is also closely monitoring the situation with coronavirus in Japan, with Super Rugby matches involving the Tokyo-based Sunwolves at risk of cancellation if the situation escalates.
Meanwhile, a decision on whether the July 24-August 9 Olympic Games in Tokyo will go ahead does not need to be taken until late May, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told AP.
‘‘You could certainly go to two months out if you had to,’’ Pound said. ‘‘A lot of things have to start happening. You’ve got to start ramping up your security, your food, the Olympic Village, the hotels – the media folks will be in there building their studios.’’