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Russian boxers to be evacuated from London after cancellation of 2020 Olympics qualifiers

The tournament began in London on March 14 and was expected to last till March 24 but was paused till May
Caitlin Parker and Qian Li EPA-EFE/ANDRE PAIN
Caitlin Parker and Qian Li
© EPA-EFE/ANDRE PAIN

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russia’s boxing team will be urgently evacuated from Britain after the cancellation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ European qualifiers, the secretary-general of Russia’s Boxing Federation, Umar Kremlev, has told TASS.

The tournament began in London on March 14 and was expected to last till March 24. On Monday, it was announced that the competitions had been paused till May.

"Why they started the tournament is anyone’s guess then," Kremlev said. "It’s a shock for the athletes. I believe that the Olympics must be postponed. Our guys are alright as far as security is concerned. A charter flight will urgently bring them back home."

An outbreak of the new coronavirus-related disease in central China at the end of December 2019 has spread to more than 160 counties and territories. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, more than 175,830 have contracted the virus around the world. More than 6,700 patients died. Russia’s anti-coronavirus task force says 93 cases of the disease have been identified.