IOC to find Wuhan's alternatives after coronavirus outbreak

After the Tokyo 2020 boxing Qualifiers cancelled due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Boxing Task Force (BTF) will work closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and all partners to explore alternatives.

The Task Force will immediately inform National Olympic Committees, National Federations and officials on any development.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) cancelled the Asian/Oceanian Tokyo 2020 boxing qualifying event which was scheduled to take place in Wuhan from February 3-14, amid growing concerns in relation to the coronavirus outbreak reported in the city.

The WHO Emergency Committee held a discussion on Wednesday over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, but it did not come to a concrete decision whether to declare a global state of emergency.The committee is reconvening on Thursday to consider further steps.

The new virus sparked major concerns globally over the possibility of it turning into an epidemic, as cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been already registered in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and also Macau. Chinese health authorities have confirmed that the virus can spread from human to human.