Shanghai shutdown: Chinese city to suspend ALL sports events as coronavirus fears increase

Sports authorities in Shanghai have recommended that ALL sporting events in the city be suspended until further notice while the the city deals with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The recommendation from the Shanghai Sports General Association has instructed all sports bodies to suspend their planned events until the threat of the coronavirus has disappeared.

The SSGA said in a statement that sporting bodies should "formulate a plan for epidemic prevention to avoid internal infections," and said that organizations should, "also implement a daily hygiene management system and strengthen health education to urge employees to protect themselves."

Notably, the introduction of the sports ban places a huge question mark over the status of the Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place in Shanghai on April 19. The race, which represents the fourth round of the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship season, is being discussed by Formula 1 bosses as fears grow that the race could join the growing list of sporting events that have already been postponed or cancelled.

The World Indoor Athletics Championships, originally scheduled for March 13-15, has already been postponed until next year, while the Formula E race in Sanya next month has been scrapped.

A host of qualifying tournaments for this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games have also been affected, with the Games' basketball, badminton and boxing qualifiers all either postponed, rescheduled or relocated.