Don't lose spirit, focus on your training: Rijiju encourages athletes amid COVID-19 outbreak

As concerns over coronavirus continue to rise, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju on Monday encouraged all Indian athletes by asking them not to "lose the spirit" and "focus on their training".

Rijiju took to Twitter and posted a video where he can be seen playing football.

The minister captioned the video as: "Due to coronavirus, sporting events and competitions are postponed temporarily but I appeal all our athletes not to lose the spirit, keep practicing and focus on your training..."

The coronavirus outbreak has taken a huge toll on sports all around the globe. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday suspended its all footballing activities, adhering to the advisories issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and directives from several state governments to contain the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

Also, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday decided to reschedule the three-match ODI series due to the COVID-19 threat.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 114 on Monday, the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs said.

Coronavirus, which originated from Wuhan, China in December last year, has so far spread to more than 100 countries and infected more than 1,30,000 people.