SPL games to be played behind closed doors, S'pore Badminton Open called off
A slew of local and regional sporting events have been cancelled, suspended or will take place behind closed doors, in the light of the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore and the region.
S'PORE PREMIER LEAGUE: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
The Singapore Premier League (SPL) will be played behind closed doors from this week, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Friday (March 13), after the Ministry of Health (MOH) issued an advisory regarding ticketed events.
MOH said that all ticketed cultural, sports and entertainment events, with 250 participants or more, must be deferred or cancelled, in the light of the coronavirus outbreak.
For events that have already been committed to, organisers must demonstrate that satisfactory precautionary measures have been put in place before they can proceed.
Fans can continue to follow SPL matches via platforms such as myCujoo (www.mycujoo.com), Singtel channels 111 to 113 and StarHub channels 201, 202 and 204.
S'PORE BADMINTON OPEN: CALLED OFF
The Singapore Badminton Open, which had drawn nearly all of the world's top-10 shuttlers across five categories, was called off on Friday night.
It was supposed to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from April 7-12, but the likes of Chinese shuttlers Chen Long, Lin Dan, Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying and Japan's Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi will not be heading here.
Singapore Badminton Open 2020 organising chairman Robert Lim said in a statement: “Following the rapid increase of Covid-19 cases worldwide, and with the health and safety of players, spectators and event personnel our highest priority, we have made the decision to cancel the Singapore Badminton Open.
"It is always hard to cancel an event and we appreciate all the hard work put in by everyone involved in the tournament.
"While we are disappointed that we are unable to stage this tournament for spectators, we believe this is the best decision for everyone involved.”
Fans who have purchased tickets will receive a full refund. Details will be announced on the Singapore Badminton Open’s website soon.
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Earlier on Friday, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion ONE Championship announced that it will implement closed-door, audience-free events till May 29 at least.
ONE's King of the Jungle event in Singapore last month had also taken place behind closed doors as a precaution against the coronavirus.
ASEAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE: SUSPENDED
The Asean Basketball League (ABL) said it will suspend the competition indefinitely.
The ABL had postponed selected games or held them behind closed doors since late January, but decided on a full-scale suspension due to tighter travel restrictions in the region and the quarantine requirements upon the teams’ return to their respective countries.
S'PORE SWIMMING PROFICIENCY AWARDS: SUSPENDED
The Singapore Swimming Association also announced that it will be suspending all scheduled Singapore Swimming Proficiency Awards (SSPA) events till further notice.
OSIM SUNDOWN MARATHON: CANCELLED
The Osim Sundown Marathon, which was scheduled to take place on May 23 at the F1 Pit Building, has been called off.
Any requested refunds will be handled by this year’s race organiser, Infinitus Productions.
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