MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. The Russian Speed Skating Union (RSSU) has proposed to hold the 2020 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Russia, RSSU Executive Director Varvara Barysheva told TASS on Wednesday. The event had initially been planned to be held in South Korea, but was called off today in view of the novel coronavirus threat.
The International Skating Union (ISU) announced earlier in the day that the 2020 World Short Track Championships, which was scheduled to run in South Korea’s Seoul on March 13-15, would not be held on the planned dates due to the novel coronavirus spread in the region.
"The International Skating Union has made an official statement that the world championships cannot be organized in South Korea," Barysheva commented for TASS. "They will soon notify us whether the tournament will be postponed to a later date and relocated to another country or will be simply cancelled. We are now waiting."
"An initiative of holding the World Short Track Championships in Russia comes as yet from our union only, but we are ready to work out this issue with the [Russian] Sports Ministry and with the international federation," she continued. "As of now this is only our desire and initiative, but we hope that it will gain support."
"We are working on this issue with the International Skating Union," Barysheva added.
The world’s governing body of speed skating said in its statement on Wednesday that it was yet to decide whether the scheduled short track championship in South Korea would be postponed or relocated.
"A postponement and/or relocation of this Championships might be considered if the circumstances would allow so in due time," the ISU said in its statement. "Before taking a final decision, the ISU will remain in close contact with the Korea Skating Union and ISU Members."
On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial megalopolis with a population of 11 million.
The virus was identified on January 7 as 2019-nCoV. As of today, 42 countries and territories, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.
The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on February 11 that the organization gave the novel coronavirus an official name of COVID-19.
According to the latest reports, over 81,230 cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in China and other countries. The virus’ death toll has hit the number of 2,769, yet more than 30,310 patients have recovered from the disease.