The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) will not send athletes to the upcoming Asian Games, which are scheduled to be held in China’s Hangzhou from September 10-25, due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
These Games will take place less than 200 km southeast of Shanghai, where the population will be re-confined for several weeks.
Organizers have confirmed that they are in the process of putting together a plan to control the virus based on the previous Winter Olympics, in February in Beijing, but without providing details on how to get there, China’s policy in this area is very strict.
Hangzhou, with a population of 12 million, will be China’s third city to host the Asian Games, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.
Some events will be held in other cities in the same province, including Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Shaoxing and Jinhua.
The 56 venues planned for the Asian and Para-Asian Games are already ready, organizers said.
Source: Radio-Canada