Hong Kong (AFP)
The new coronavirus continues to shake up the Chinese sports agenda: the national football team will have to play two qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in empty stadiums in Thailand, the Chinese football federation announced on Friday.
China will play these two games, facing the Maldives on March 26 and facing Guam on the 31st, at the Chang Arena in Buriram, in east-central Thailand. At the request of the Thai government, the matches will be played behind closed doors to prevent any risk of contamination of the Covid-19.
Many sporting events have been postponed or canceled, mainly in China, due to the epidemic, in particular the F1 Grand Prix, athletics, tennis and downhill skiing competitions.
China is the epicenter of the Covid-19 epidemic where the death toll exceeds 2,000, with more than 74,000 people infected.
© 2020 AFP