Another international sporting event, one scheduled to take place in B.C.鈥檚 Northern Interior, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Health minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.鈥檚 provincial health officer, announced early Thursday afternoon the 2020 World Women鈥檚 Curling Championship, slated to run March 16-24 in Prince George, be postponed indefinitely.
鈥淕iven the changing global circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak, in World Health Organization鈥檚 COVID-19 pandemic declaration and the increasing risks of community spread at large public gatherings, we are announcing today that we have recommended to the World Curling Federation that it postpone the 2020 World Women鈥檚 Curling Championship in Prince George,鈥� Dix and Henry said in a joint statement.
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Teams slated to participate at the World Women鈥檚 Curling Championship include: Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S.
鈥淲e made this decision after careful deliberation with local public health officials and the event organizers. We understand what the championship means to the athletes who have trained hard to compete, but the health of British Columbians is our first priority.
鈥淲e will continue to actively monitor COVID-19 and focus our efforts on containment in B.C.鈥�
With the event now not taking place the World Curling Federation said it will consider the implications on Olympic qualification and discuss potential changes that will need to be considered with all the relevant stakeholders.
World Curling Federation President, Kate Caithness, said it鈥檚 an extremely disappointing situation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 with regret we鈥檙e announcing it is no longer possible to run this world championship,鈥� Caithness said. 鈥淗owever, the safety of our athletes, officials, staff and supporters is paramount which we cannot guarantee with the fast-evolving nature of this worldwide situation.鈥�
The announcement comes just a day after the NBA announced it was suspending its season due to a player testing positive for COVID-19, and the NHL announcing Thursday morning it will put a halt on its 2019/20 season until further notice.
sports@wltribune.com
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