Postponement of The Asian Games 2022 amid COVID surge
The 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, which were scheduled from 10th September till 25th, was indefinitely postponed due to the recent spike in COVID 19 cases in China. The biggest sporting event after the Olympics in size saw a major halt.
Shanghai, recently came under a COVID 19 pandemic, forcing the communist government to enforce a lockdown on the city. The new dates for the Asian Games are to be announced in the near future.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had an urgent meeting to discuss the situation. Everybody in the meeting felt the need for postponing the tournament, as human lives are more important than arranging such events. Also stressing on the fact that Hangzhou is 175 kilometers southwest of Shanghai.
“Following detailed discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), the OCA Executive Board (EB) decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, from 10th to 25th September 2022”, the OCA said in a statement, posted on its website.
“The new dates of the 19th Asian Games will be agreed between the OCA, the COC, and HAGOC and announced in the near future” the statement added.
Despite global challenges, China was well prepared to launch the event and deliver it. But having in mind, the magnitude of the event and the seriousness of the virus, all stakeholders felt that postponing the tournament was the right decision.
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About a total of 11,000 athletes were to compete in 61 different sporting disciplines.
As per a recent report, Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, has recorded a total of 3124 positive COVID cases and one death. This development comes at a time when China is battling a record no. of daily cases in Shanghai.
Adding to this, the 3rd Asian Youth Games, which was scheduled from December 20-28, 2022, Shantou, have also been cancelled.
Hence, the next Asian Youth Games will be held in 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
