Well, it occurred to me that we may well see a decimation of the International tournaments due to aytpical pneumonia. M'sian and S'pore tournaments are the big ones that will possibly be affected. China Open is supposed to be held in GuangZhou later.
Dammit, I heard they haven't found a cure for SARS, and it'll be a while till they do. Hearing about SARS just gives me so many goose bumps. Crap, they haven't even found a cure for the common cold, the medicene only gets rid of the symptoms.
According to doctors, the disease is here to stay, like aids. it's affecting business like the war. And it's going to concentrate on urban areas with a high concentration of chinese like China, HK, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Canada etc.
Gunalan has announced that World Championships MAY be postphoned if SARS keep spreading.Has informed associations to be prepared.
Implications are quite severe. TC/UC venue for next yr has not yet been decided. This might be the first time in over 20years that TC/UC will be held outside of Asia (if it goes ahead). Olympics may be affected.
If SARS dosent get a cure soon everything will be affected. im thinking if it keeps spreading and no cure or vacnation is found with in the year Aisa maybe quartined from the rest of the world. dam did the US launch a new viral disease and test it on asia?
There is speculation though that the virus may have come from some sort of research and got out of hand. Rumours and probably vivid imagination, but it can happen like creating Frankenstein.
there is no perfect quarantine. if asia is completely affected, the rest of the world will be facing as bad an epidemic.
take a look A couple of sites giving not so good news. Read on http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=18257 http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Sport/20030415084502/Article/
More possibilities IBF to review status of Asia’s three biggest meets KUALA LUMPUR: The International Badminton Federation (IBF) may extend until July the freeze on all tournaments in Asia due to the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the region. The IBF had cancelled all tournaments scheduled for April and May. The IBF vice-president, Datuk Punch Gunalan, said yesterday that after cancelling the Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam Satellite tournaments, the regional body might have to review the remaining three biggest tournaments in Asia, scheduled for June and July. “The Singapore, Indonesian and Malaysian Opens may also be affected if the outbreak worsens,” he said after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Magnum Corporation Bhd (Magnum) and the BA of Malaysia (BAM) here. Gunalan said that any postponement or cancellation of the tournaments would affect the IBF calendar and the players' future as the Olympic qualifying period would begin on May 1. On the IBF calendar, the Singapore Open will be held from June 16-22, Indonesian Open from June 24-29 and the Malaysian Open from July 1-6. – Bernama
Looks like WC will be OK World meet to go on, say IBF By LIM TEIK HUAT (from Staronline) PETALING JAYA: The World Championships in Birmingham will take place next month as scheduled, despite the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) scare. International Badminton Federation vice-president Datuk Punch Gunalan said yesterday the governing body had no plans to defer the world meet which will be held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham from May 12-18. “The World Championships will go on as planned. “There will be no cancellation. Unless something serious happens in Birmingham by that time, there is no reason not to proceed with the preparations,” said Gunalan. There has been growing concern that the championships would be postponed because of current spread of the SARS virus. The deadly outbreak has been at its worst in Asian countries like China, Hong Kong, Singapore with cases also reported in Malaysia. It had been feared that the organisers would not want to risk any of the participants or officials catching or spreading the deadly disease. China are sending the biggest squad of 24 players for the World Championships this time. Gunalan said the IBF had been keeping tabs of situation in the last two weeks. “Based on the feedback we have got from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the situation is improving. “The players and officials should not have worries, as the organisers in England will be taking the necessary precautions. “Strict health screenings are being done by the relevant authorities on any visitors entering England. The World Championships is held every two years and is the most prestigious individual badminton competition. Over 350 players from 46 countries are expected in Birmingham over the course of the competition. IBF will also be holding its annual general meeting (AGM) during the World Championships as well as the World Coaches Conference.
Boarding school pupils from HK returning to UK are required to segregate form the community for 10 days beforehand. Will badminton players from SE Asia be affected by a similar ruling?
Probably some screening and tests on people from affected countries both in domestic airports and upon arrival will help a lot. The minute a suspect is isolated then the whole plane is sent back. Some countries have special arrival lounges just for flights from affected countries. I think the no. of people arriving in UK from affected countries is within control.
