Coronavirus: 2 sports events in Far East postponed

By Emre Asikci

ANKARA (AA) - Sports events in Japan and South Korea are feeling the sting of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, with postponements announced in the interests of public safety.

Seven matches of Japan’s Levain Cup are being postponed, said the football J.League, adding that officials will discuss the possibility of further postponements through March 15, the league said on its website.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships in Busan, South Korea’s second most-populous city, were also postponed from March until June.

"In light of the emerging situation in Korea Republic and to best preserve the health and safety of players, officials and fans, the Hana Bank 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan have been postponed with the dates of 21-28 June provisionally reserved," the federation said.

Global cases of the virus that emerged last December have passed 80,000, the vast majority in China – 77,658 – according to the country's National Health Commission. The death toll there has risen to 2,663.

The epidemic has spread to over two dozen countries with South Korea, Italy, and Iran the hardest hit.

In South Korea, 10 people have now died after contracting the virus, with infections reaching 977.

While the fatality count in Iran is 15 so far, Japan has confirmed more than 850 infected people.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which earlier declared the outbreak an international health emergency, has urged the world to prepare for a possible pandemic, a situation where an infectious disease spreads easily between people in many countries.