AFC Champions League, women’s golf hit by virus

SEOUL: The coronavirus will have an impact on the opening week of the Asian Champions League despite the absence of Chinese clubs.

The champions from South Korea and Japan meet in the opening round on Wednesday, when extra precautions will mean that any fans wanting to watch Jeonbuk Motors against Yokohama F. Marinos will have to wear masks and have a temperature of under 37.5°C (99.5°F) to enter the Jeonju stadium.

The Asian Football Confederation announced after an emergency meeting last week that because of the spread of the virus, the first three games for three Chinese clubs — Shanghai SIPG, Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Shenhua — will be postponed. “We came together in difficult circumstances to find solutions to allow us to play football while ensuring we protect the safety and security of all players, officials, stakeholders and fans,” said AFC General Secretary Windsor John.

The AFC hopes that the group stage in the eastern half of the tournament can be completed before the region starts its knockout stage in June.

There are off-the-field issues in the west side of the draw, too. The four Iranian clubs will play their first three games away from home because of security concerns related to heightened tensions in the region.

In the eastern half, it remains to be seen if the Chinese contingent can return to action in late April and May to play their rescheduled fixtures but in the meantime, rivals will be looking to get some points on the board.

LPGA AFFECTED

SINGAPORE: Golf’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore and the LPGA Thailand were cancelled because of the coronavirus, meaning the US LPGA Tour has been forced to scrap all three of its lucrative early-season events in Asia.

The World Championship is one of the most prestigious on the US LPGA Tour with the world’s top 20 players and the previous year’s major-winners all participating.

The Tour had already announced 10 days ago the cancellation of China’s Blue Bay LPGA from March 5-8 on the southern island of Hainan.

The three-event swing would have carried in excess of $5 million in prize money.