IOC to find Wuhan's alternatives after coronavirus outbreak

Concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan led to the cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Boxing Qualifiers, following which the International Olympics Committee's (IOC) Boxing Task Force (BTF) has stated that they will be working closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and all partners to explore alternatives.

The National Olympic Committees, the National Federations, and its officials will be informed immediately by the Task Force on any development.

Also Read: WHO emergency committee meets over coronavirus outbreak

[ Effects of the coronavirus on China (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

The Asian/Oceanic Tokyo 2020 Boxing qualifying event which was scheduled to take place in Wuhan from February 3-14 was also cancelled by the Local Organizing Committee amid growing concerns pertaining to the coronavirus outbreak reported in the city.

The viral outbreak in Wuhan was discussed by the WHO Emergency Committee on Monday but no concrete decisions were reached on whether to declare a global state of emergency.

The new virus has sparked major concerns globally over the possibility of it turning into an epidemic and the committee is reconvening on Thursday to consider further steps. Cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have already been registered in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Korea, the United States, and Macau. Human-to-human infection of the virus has been confirmed by Chinese health authorities.