MONTREAL -- Even though Quebec has yet to have a confirmed case of coronavirus, organizers of this weekend's Montreal World Diving Series event at the Parc Olympique Sports Centre are taking extra precautions.
After confirming last week that the Chinese team will skip the competition, Diving Canada said Thursday that other countries, including Japan, South Korea, Italy and France, will also be absent. (According to Diving Canada, the absence of China this weekend is due to visa problems, not to coronavirus.)
To allay fears, FINA stressed Thursday that it had transported all tools necessary to carry out virus screening tests to Montreal, and even dispatched one of its doctors to the city to take stock of the situation.
Dr. Jim Miller said he and his team had visited all the Montreal hospitals that are able to carry out tests for coronavirus. The doctor also said that so far, there have been no positive cases of coronavirus among divers.
He also said FINA has yet to make a decision on whether or not to hold the diving trials for the Tokyo Olympics in April. For its part, a spokesperson for Diving Canada said a decision should be made on this subject in March.
Meanwhile, FINA announced earlier this year that the second stop in the World Diving Series, which was to take place in Beijing, has been canceled due to the risks of the coronavirus.
It's the latest in a long list of sporting events that have been canceled since COVID-19 began its spread, and include the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Seoul, South Korea, the Chinese Formula 1 race, as well as Italian Serie A soccer matches.
This report by the Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2020.
