Coronavirus fears: Table tennis world team championships postponed

SEOUL: Table tennis’s world team championships, due to take place next month in the South Korean city of Busan, were postponed on Tuesday over health concerns as the East Asian nation fight with an outbreak of the coronavirus.

According to organizers of the championship, the event was scheduled for March 22-29 in the southern city of Busan and will be pushed back temporarily to June 21-28.

The International Table Tennis Federation said in a statement said given the insecurity and changing situation in the Korea Republic due to the outbreak, the decision was made with the health and safety of players, officials and fans.

The country’s officials have been fighting against new coronavirus that took the nation’s tally to 893 on Tuesday. While at least nine have died from the diseases across the country.

Moreover, the coronavirus has infected more than 80,500 people across the globe, including more than 77,000 in Hubei province China. More than 2,600 people have died in China’s epidemic center.

The outbreak has had a major impact on the global sporting calendar, with a host of events canceled or postponed, and raised alarm bells for Tokyo Olympics organizers.