The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
The Cosafa 2020 Women’s Under-17 championship has been added to the list of sporting events that have been affected by the outbreak of coronavirus.
This comes after Cosafa put the tournament – originally slated for April 17-26 in Mauritius – on ice, as world unites in battling to counter the spread of the deadly virus.
Following an address by the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, in which he outlined the country’s plans to counter the spread of coronavirus, the tournament has been suspended.
The decision to shut the country’s borders made it difficult to access the island, hence Cosafa’s decision.
“The Prime Minister of Mauritius, the Honorable Pravind Jugnauth, outlined the nation’s plans to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and this will include the closing of borders with certain countries, which will make travel to the island difficult.
“After consultation with various stakeholders, Cosafa can now confirm that the 2020 Women’s Under-17 Championship, scheduled to be staged in Mauritius, has been postponed,” said Cosafa secretary-general, Sue Destombes.
Destombes said that despite the regional football motherboard being disappointed with the postponement of the tournament, it respected the decision which was taken by the Mauritian government.
“While we are disappointed that the tournament will be postponed, we are respectful of the decision by the Mauritian government to take appropriate steps to safeguard its citizens during this global crisis,” she said.
She added that new dates for the tournament will be announced in due course.
Meanwhile, Supersport reports that Roland Garros has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and will take place from September 20 to October 4.
The Grand Slam event was scheduled to have taken place from May 24 to June 7, but organisers said: “The current confinement measures have made it impossible for us to continue with our preparations and, as a result, we are unable to hold the tournament on the dates originally planned.”
The new dates would mean the tournament would start just one week after the US Open, if that event remains in its scheduled slot.
“The whole world is affected by the public health crisis connected with Covid-19. In order to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in organising the tournament, the French Tennis Federation has made the decision to hold the 2020 edition of Roland-Garros from 20th September to 4th October 2020,” reads a statement.
“In order to act responsibly and protect the health of its employees, service providers and suppliers during the organisation period, the FFT has chosen the only option that will allow them to maintain the 2020 edition of the tournament while joining the fight against Covid-19.”
European countries moved into near total lock-down on Tuesday in a bid to halt the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus, with citizens across France ordered to remain indoors after President Emmanuel Macron declared a war on the outbreak.
FFT president Bernard Giudicelli said: “We have made a difficult yet brave decision in this unprecedented situation, which has evolved greatly since last weekend. We are acting responsibly, and must work together in the fight to ensure everybody’s health and safety.”
The revised dates will leave players contesting a clay-court Grand Slam in the middle of the traditional hard-court season, with limited opportunities to adjust to the slower surface.
Roland Garros will also now clash with a number of tournaments, including the Laver Cup in Boston, where Europe’s top players will take on a World team. Roger Federer has already committed to the event.
