Skating world championships cancelled
Montreal event the latest affected by new coronavirus
The World Figure Skating Championships, scheduled to be held in Montreal March 16-22, have been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Quebec government said on Wednesday.
Canada has a total of 102 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Wednesday, with Quebec having a total of nine cases.
“People at that event are coming from different countries, indoors space. There’s a lot of people, thousands of people and we’ve just been declared a pandemic in the world, so we think it’s the best scenario to protect the population,” Quebec Health Minister Danielle Mccann told reporters, noting the decision was made in consultation with public health officials.
The decision to cancel the world championships comes a day after the International Skating Union (ISU) announced strict requirements for attending the event, including monitoring temperatures of skaters, coaches and officials.
It also marks the second major sporting event affected in Canada in recent days because of the coronavirus. The women’s world ice hockey championship, which was set to begin on March 31 in Eastern Canada, was cancelled last Saturday.
The flu-like virus, which originated in China late last year, was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization earlier on Wednesday.
Skate Canada said in a statement the Quebec government informed the organization and ISU of its decision to cancel the event and that they “fully respect the difficult decision made today.”
Italian figure skating coach Lorenzo Magri raised concerns about the Montreal event in an Instagram post earlier on Wednesday.
“I don’t want to see the same kind of situation (as Italy) all around the world,” Magri said.
He added he had a thousand questions and was scared.
The Italian government imposed a countrywide lockdown on Monday in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Italy has reported over 10,000 total cases and more than 600 deaths from the virus.
While the figure skating event has been cancelled, the March 1422 women’s world curling championship in Western Canada, where teams from Japan, South Korea, China and Italy are among those due to compete, remains on schedule.
Meanwhile, attendance at the NCAA’S March Madness basketball tournaments will be restricted to essential staff and limited family due to the ongoing COVID -19 outbreak, the association’s president, Mark Emmert, said.
The upcoming Division I men’s and women’s tournaments draw millions of viewers, making them among the most popular annual sporting competitions in North America.
“While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States,” Emmert said in a written statement.
The tournaments, which include 68 men’s and 64 women’s teams, take place in more than a dozen venues across the U.S.
Other championships will be subject to the restrictions as well, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Elsewhere, Major League Baseball is formulating contingency plans for regular-season games with respect to the outbreak.
The Wall Street Journal’s Jarred Diamond reported that MLB is looking into different sites for games once the season begins later this month as opposed to playing in empty stadiums.
Teams could play at other MLB stadiums in cities less affected by the coronavirus when the primary tenant is on the road, per the report. Spring training facilities in Arizona or Florida are also being considered to host games.
Meanwhile, after first going against Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine’s recommendation that games be “spectator-free, effective immediately,” the NHL’S Columbus Blue Jackets announced they will abide by the governor’s request.
The Jackets host Pittsburgh on Thursday and Nashville on Saturday. The team originally stated the games would go ahead with ticketed fans who wished to attend being allowed into the arena.
Dewine threatened on Wednesday to change his recommendation into an order.
“I thank those who have already chosen to limit large events in response to yesterday’s recommendation,” Dewine said on Twitter. “For the others, there will be an order.”
In Italy, Juventus defender Daniele Rugani tested positive for coronavirus, the Serie A soccer club said on Wednesday.