New Delhi: The Delhi government has decided to stop all sports gathering, including IPL 2020, in the national capital amid the coronavirus threat, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Friday.
Addressing a press conference, Sisodia said district magistrates have been asked to ensure that all directives pertaining to coronavirus are implemented.
“All sports gatherings will be banned, including the IPL, in wake of the coronavirus threat,” he said.
In another development Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said home quarantine is the best solution in case one has any symptom of coronavirus. Delhi has so far reported six cases of coronavirus.
The Delhi government’s decision has raised fresh doubts over the fate of India Open badminton tournament, a crucial event in the Tokyo Olympics qualification cycle. The USD 400,000 Super 500 event was supposed to be held without any spectators to avoid spreading the deadly disease.
“We will go by what the government decides. It is not in our hand. We have to follow the government’s decisions. Currently there is no clarity on the visa process of the foreign players and on top of it now the Delhi government has come up with this directive,” a Badminton Association of India (BAI) official said while reacting to the decision.
The BAI and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) had issued a joint statement earlier Wednesday, informing that the event will be held inside closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
However, the government Wednesday night issued a revised travel advisory, suspending all existing visas, except diplomatic and employment, till April 15.
The Sports Ministry had asked Thursday all national federations, including the cricket board, to follow the Health Ministry’s advisory and avoid large gatherings in sports events.
The BAI has sent a letter to the respective ministries, attaching the names of the foreign players who were supposed to travel for the India Open.
“We have provided the details of the foreign players who were supposed to come for the India Open. We are waiting for a response,” the official said. “It is a difficult situation for us as well. A decision has to be made at the earliest. Being hosts we have to continue with the preparation,” he added.
Meanwhile after the Delhi government’s decision, the BCCI has started looking for alternate venues in ‘willing’ states to conduct a closed-door matches.
The IPL is due to start March 29 in Mumbai and Delhi’s first game will be played March 30.
The BCCI responded by listing the alternate venues that could play host. Delhi is home to the Delhi Capital IPL franchise. “Lucknow has wanted to host IPL matches for a while now. If it’s a closed door tournament, it really doesn’t matter where it is played,” a BCCI source said.
Karnataka has also expressed its unwillingness to host IPL matches, while Maharashtra have banned the sale of tickets.
Agencies