Will the Toronto WMA 2020 Championships be Cancelled due to Coronavisus?

As countries across the world scramble to get to grips with the coronavirus outbreak, sporting events across the board have been compromised. Now Masters Athletes are also the same questions about the Championships due late this year Toronto, Canada. The Championships which kick off late July are likely to attract over 8 Thousand athletes coming from around the world to compete, with many athletes due to come from countries already affected by the virus, concern is increasing by fellow competitors about if the games will even go ahead.

WMA Championships are all self funded and so the personal cost of championships being cancelled is a great concern to many

The Toronto Organising committee have so far stated that they are monitoring the situation and will of course update all as and when any information arises, and recommended that athletes review the Toronto Notification site about the virus

Worldwide position regarding cancelled Sporting events

There are now more than 80,000 confirmed cases of the virus around the world and the death toll is over 2,700 — the majority of which are from mainland China.

With the World Health Organisation saying it’s time to prepare for a potential pandemic, it seems the list of sports affected by the virus will continue to grow.

There are fears Tokyo 2020 may be impacted but organisers insist preparations are going ahead as planned.

Here is a list of the major sporting events so far hit by the coronavirus.

A Napoli supporter wears a mask during the Champions League tie against Barcelona.

Football

The start of the Chinese Super League has been postponed.
China’s women’s national football team was held in quarantine after Olympic qualifying matches were moved from China to Australia.
South Korea’s professional soccer league has postponed the start of its new season.
Four Serie A matches postponed in March due to a spike in cases in northern Italy.
Inter Milan’s Europa League game against Ludogorets was played behind closed doors.
Five Serie A matches will be played behind closed doors.
Japan’s J.League postponed seven Levian Cup matches in February and all domestic games through early March.

Athletics

The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing has been postponed until next year.
The Tokyo Marathon in March has been restricted to elite athletes only.

Basketball

Multiple Asia Cup qualifying matches have been postponed, including Philippines vs. Thailand and Japan vs. China

Golf

The European Tour canceled April’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia and the following week’s China Open.
The LPGA canceled the elite Blue Bay tournament due to be held in Hainan.
It also canceled the 2020 Honda LPGA Thailand and the 2020 HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.

Cycling

The remaining stages of the UAE cycling tour have been cancelled after two team members tested positive.

A promotional banner for the HSBC Women’s World Championship which was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.

Badminton

China Masters tournament in Hainan has been postponed.
The Vietnam International Challenge has been pushed back from Mach to June and won’t act as a Tokyo 2020 qualifier.

Showjumping

The Longines Masters of Hong Kong showjumping event has been cancelled.

Esports

The 2020 League of Legends LPL Spring tournament has been postponed.

Boxing

The Olympic boxing qualifiers for Asia and Oceania teams were moved from Wuhan to Jordan.

Winter Sports

The first Winter X-Games event to be held in China has been postponed.
The downhill and super-G men’s alpine skiing World Cup races were cancelled in February.
The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in South Korea have been postponed.

Motorsports

China’s Formula E race on March 21 has been cancelled.
The Chinese Grand Prix — originally scheduled for April 19 — has been postponed.

Hockey

Hockey Pro League matches between China and Belgium in Changzhou have been cancelled.

Rugby

Hong Kong and Singapore Sevens tournaments have been moved from April to October.
The Six Nations tie between Ireland and Italy has been postponed after advice from Government.

Table tennis

The world championship to be held in Busan, South Korea, has been pushed from March to June.

Tennis

China had to forfeit a Davis Cup tie against Romania because its team was unable to travel.
WTA canceled April’s Xi’an Open tennis tournament and said it would monitor events with upcoming competitions scheduled in China.

Baseball

Fans will be banned for attending 72 Japanese pro-baseball pre-season games.