- Source says ‘there are no plans to hold the qualifiers at different places or on different dates’
- Games between China, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand set for February 3-9, after Lunar New Year holiday
The Chinese Football Association has ruled out moving the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games women's football qualifying tournament from Wuhan, according to reports in the Chinese media.
Wuhan, the source of the deadly coronavirus that has since spread around Asia, is scheduled to host the tournament from February 3-9. Those games follow the Lunar New Year holiday and the mass migration that has fuelled fears that the virus, which has been likened to Sars, will spread.
The WHO is set to meet to decide whether to call an international health warning over the virus, a label saved for the most serious epidemics.
A CFA source told Xinhua nothing has changed.
China says Wuhan virus spreading; WHO indicates human transmission likely
"For the time being, there are no plans to hold the qualifiers at different places or on different dates," the source said. "If any decision is made, it will be announced soon."
Australia, Taiwan and Thailand join hosts for China in the tournament, with the top two teams going through to the play-offs for the two Asian places at the Summer Games in Tokyo.
China faces missing out on all men's team events in Tokyo
There they will meet the top two sides from the other group " South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam and Myanmar " who are playing in South Korea from February 3-9.
The play-offs are played over two legs, home and away in March.
While China's men have failed to qualify for the football tournament this summer, the women are expected to make it to Tokyo. China, ranked 15th in the world, are the fourth-highest ranked team in Asia behind world number seven Australia, 10th ranked Japan and 11th placed North Korea.
Japan have qualified as hosts, leaving the other three to play for Asia's two Olympic berths.
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