Kuala Lumpur and Shenzhen events postponed due to coronavirus outbreak

(Reuters) - The Maybank Championship to be held in Kuala Lumpur and the Volvo China Open in Shenzhen that were both scheduled for April have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the European Tour announced on Friday.

The outbreak has killed more than 1,300 people and infected more than 60,000 in China after emerging late last year in Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei province.

The event at the Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, was originally scheduled for April 16-19 while the Shenzhen event at the Genzon Golf Club was scheduled for April 23-26.

“The well-being of our players, spectators and staff is always our absolute priority,” chief executive of the European Tour Keith Pelley said in a statement.

“While it is therefore regrettable that the Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open have been postponed, we feel this is the correct course of action at this time. We are currently investigating alternative dates for both events.”

The tournaments join a long list of international sports events in Asia that have been cancelled, postponed or moved because of the virus, most notably the indoor world athletics championships in Nanjing and the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.