Coronavirus forces postponement of Azlan Shah Hockey

ISLAMABAD: Fears of coronavirus forced organisers to postpone Azlan Shah Hockey that was scheduled to be held in Ipoh (Malaysia) from April 11 to 18.

The event will now be held from September 24 to October 3 at the same venue. "It is in the best interest of the players, officials and all parties involved that the 29th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Men's Hockey Tournament 2020 to be postponed," Orgainsing Committee chairman Dato' Haji Abd Rahim Bin Md said in a statement. "The outbreak of COVID-19 which is spreading rapidly in Korea and Japan. The health and well-being of the teams, especially Australia, Canada and Japan should be taken into consideration as not to jeopardise their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics," he added. The Organising Committee apologised for the inconvenience but said the decision was taken keeping in mind the current crisis across the world. "The decision has been conveyed to FIH (International Hockey Federation), AHF (Asian Hockey Federation), MHC (Malaysia Hockey Confederation) and the participating teams," the statement further read.

The Azlan Shah Cup is the latest sporting event to be hit by the deadly coronavirus. The Azlan Shah Cup is an annual men's international invitational field hockey tournament. The participating teams in this edition's tournament were Australia, Canada, Japan, hosts Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea. Australia have won the title 10 times, followed by Pakistan and India four times each.