Corsier-Sur-Vevey, Switzerland, March 1, 2020: The Kyrgyzstan government has informed United World Wrestling that the country will no longer host the Asian wrestling qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the spread of the coronavirus.
The event was to be held in the Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek from March 27-29. It is the second time that the location of the event has been impacted by the coronavirus. The competition was originally to be held in Xian, China.
“Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus infection, not only in China but also in other countries in the world, fears are growing in Kyrgyzstan,” wrote K.M. Arpachiev, Deputy Director of the State Agency for Youth, Physical Education and Sports under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.
“To prevent further spread of coronavirus infection we have strengthened measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in all directions,” he added.
United World Wrestling is now considering other solutions with discussions set to take place with the International Olympic Committee next week.
The Asian Wrestling Championships took place last month in New Delhi, India. China were among several countries to miss the Championships.
Source: United World Wrestling