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Sport: Events affected due to coronavirus epidemic

[February 04, 2020] (Reuters) - The following is a list of international sports events affected by the coronavirus, which has killed over 420 people and infected more than 20,000 in China after it first emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, late last year:

ATHLETICS

* The World Athletics Indoor Championships, which had been scheduled for Nanjing from March 13-15, were postponed until next year. World Athletics is working with organizers to settle on a date to host the biennial event in 2021.

* The Asian Athletics Association canceled its Feb. 12-13 indoor championships in Hangzhou.

SOCCER

* Asian Champions League matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG have been postponed.

Guangzhou and the two Shanghai clubs will now join the competition in April, with their group matches due to be played by the end of May.

Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG were due to play away at Perth Glory and Sydney FC next week but Australian officials sought to reschedule the matches after their government imposed a travel ban on foreign nationals arriving from China.

* A four-team women's Olympic soccer qualifying tournament involving China, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand was moved from Wuhan and rearranged to be held in Australia by the AFC.

Organizers were also forced to change the match schedule after China's team, which arrived in Australia on Jan. 29, was placed in quarantine in Brisbane until after Feb. 5.

* The Chinese Football Association said domestic games at all levels would be postponed.

FORMULA E

* The all-electric Formula E motor racing series abandoned plans for a race in Sanya on March 21.

The move puts Formula One in the spotlight, with Shanghai due to host the Chinese Grand Prix on April 19.

TENNIS

* The International Tennis Federation moved the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I event featuring China, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Uzbekistan out of Dongguan to Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) in Kazakhstan.

But the Feb. 4-8 event was later postponed after Kazakhstan declined to serve as substitute hosts.

BADMINTON

* The Feb. 25 to March 1 China Masters tournament in Hainan was postponed after several players withdrew. The BWF said it hoped the flagship Badminton Asia Championships could still go ahead in Wuhan from April 21-26.

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Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China February 4, 2020. cnsphoto via REUTERS

BOXING

* The International Olympic Committee announced Jordan as hosts of the boxing qualifiers for Asia and Oceania after an event in Wuhan was canceled. It will now take place in Amman from March 3 to 11.

BASKETBALL

* The International Basketball Federation moved the Feb. 6-9 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers to be held in Foshan to Belgrade.

GOLF

* The elite women's LPGA golf tour canceled the March 5-8 Blue Bay tournament to be held on Hainan.

* The sixth edition of the Hong Kong Ladies Open, scheduled to take place from Feb. 28-March 1, was postponed to May 8-10.

EQUESTRIAN

* The Feb. 14-16 Longines Masters of Hong Kong showjumping leg was canceled.

ALPINE SKIING

* Skiing's governing body canceled the Feb. 15-16 World Cup in Yanqing.

X-GAMES

* The first winter X-Games scheduled to be held in China, in Hebei province from Feb. 21-23, was postponed.

FUTSAL

* The AFC Futsal Championship that was scheduled to be held in Turkmenistan between Feb. 26 to March 8 has been postponed, with new dates to be announced when the situation stabilizes.

(Compiled by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Christian Schmollinger and Christian Radnedge)

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