ABL reschedules games due to novel coronavirus

Asean Basketball League COO Jericho Ilagan. INQUIRER PHOTO/TRISTAN TAMAYO

A total of 15 games in the Asean Basketball League will be rescheduled due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the league announced Tuesday.

In a statement, the ABL stressed that the safety of teams and fans is of utmost importance.

“As the World Health Organization advances its efforts in investigating the global health emergency concerning the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the respective local health and travel authorities of several countries have furthered their support with control policies,” the statement said.

“The league is evaluating the situation on a day-to-day basis as it values the utmost safety of its teams, players, personnel, and most especially its fans.”

The ABL listed that the following games are to be rescheduled to a later date:

1. Formosa Dreamers vs Hong Kong Eastern, originally scheduled on February 8, 2020, to be played at the Changhua County Stadium, Changhua, Taiwan
2. Kuala Lumpur Dragons vs Macau Black Bears, originally scheduled on February 9, 2020, to be played at the MABA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
3. Formosa Dreamers vs Hong Kong Eastern, originally scheduled on February 9, 2020, to be played at the Changhua County Stadium, Changhua, Taiwan
4. Mono Vampire Basketball Club vs Macau Wolf Warriors, originally scheduled on February 9, 2020, to be played at the Stadium 29, Bangkok, Thailand
5. Mono Vampire Basketball Club vs Macau Black Bears, originally scheduled on February 12, 2020, to be played at the Stadium 29, Bangkok, Thailand
6. Macau Wolf Warriors vs Hong Kong Eastern, originally scheduled on February 12, 2020, to be played at the Zhongshan Shaxi Gymnasium, Zhongshan, China
7. Saigon Heat vs Hong Kong Eastern, originally scheduled on February 15, 2020, to be played at the CIS Arena, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
8. Saigon Heat vs Macau Wolf Warriors, originally scheduled on February 16, 2020, to be played at the CIS Arena, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
9. San Miguel Alab Pilipinas vs Macau Black Bears, originally scheduled on February 16, 2020, to be played at the Sta. Rosa Multi Purpose Sports Complex, Sta. Rosa, Laguna
10. Macau Wolf Warriors vs Macau Black Bears, originally scheduled on February 19, 2020, to be played at the Zhongshan Shaxi Gymnasium, Zhongshan, China
11. Formosa Dreamers vs Macau Wolf Warriors, originally scheduled on February 22, 2020, to be played at the Changhua County Stadium, Changhua, Taiwan
12. Formosa Dreamrs vs Macau Wolf Warriors, originally scheduled on February 23, 2020, to be played at the Changhua County Stadium, Changhua, Taiwan
13. Taipei Fubon Braves vs Macau Wolf Warriors, originally scheduled on February 29, 2020, to be played at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan
14. Macau Black Bears vs Hong Kong Eastern, originally scheduled on February 29, 2020
15. Taipei Fubon Braves vs Macau Wolf Warriors originally scheduled on March 1, 2020, to be played at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan”

Recent reports cited that the new coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has spread worldwide, has killed at least 425 people, including one in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong.

More than 20,400 people have been infected in China.