COVID-19 Concerns in UAE: World Rugby cancels Dubai event

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India is preparing for staging the Indian Premier League 2020 in the UAE, a major sports event in Dubai has been cancelled in Dubai over COVID-19 concerns in the Emirates.

World Rugby, the global governing body for the sport, has announced the cancellation of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021 in Dubai. The combine men’s and women’s event were to take place from November 26 to 20 – more than a fortnight after the scheduled IPL final.

World Rugby, announcing a change to the 2020-2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, has also announced the cancellation of the Seven Series event in Cape Town, which were to be held from December 4 to 6.

The World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper has confirmed that the decision was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic concerns.

“While we share in the disappointment of players, teams, fans, hosts and everyone involved with the popular events in Dubai and Cape Town, this is a prudent decision taken with the health and wellbeing of the global rugby community and wider society as our top priority and guided by the relevant government and international public health authority advice. We look forward to welcoming these wonderful destinations back to the Series following this year’s hiatus,” Gosper said.

This is the first occasion in 51 years that the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens has been cancelled.

The BCCI has given a letter of intent to the Emirates Cricket Board to host the IPL Season 13 in the UAE from September 19 to November 8.

The IPL Governing Council will meet on Sunday for a formal approval to shift the league to the UAE due to the massive novel coronavirus spread in the country.

The IPL teams are expected to reach the UAE more than a month in advance to prepare for the league. The Indian players, across all levels, have not played any competitive cricket since March this year.

The squads will be kept in a ‘bio secure bubble’ to protect everyone from the novel coronavirus threat. The BCCI will be following the strict Standard Operating Procedures adopted by the Emirates and the Wales Cricket Board for the just concluded Test series against the West Indies.

Admin Sportz Front

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