Coronavirus: Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open postponed
by Keith Jackson
The European Tour have been forced to postpone two tournaments in April due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur and the Volvo China Open have both been pulled from the schedule, with the Tour "investigating alternative dates for both events".
Title sponsors Maybank requested to postpone their tournament in Malaysia, and the Volvo China Open was also cancelled following lengthy discussions involving the sponsors, the China Golf Association and the European Tour.
"The well-being of our players, spectators and staff is always our absolute priority," said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley 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."
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Datuk Abdul Farid Alias, Group President & CEO of Maybank, added: "The decision to postpone the Maybank Championship was made after intense deliberation and careful consideration in the interest of all the players, visitors, working teams and partners.
"The postponement of the Maybank Championship was not an easy decision to make, however, the safety of all stakeholders takes precedence, and we want to ensure that any risk of possible exposure to Covid-19 is mitigated.
"We will monitor the situation and work closely with the European & Asian Tours, as well as our other partners, as we plan for our return in the future."
The LPGA Tour have already cancelled a number of tournaments in the Asia region over the next month as fears over the coronavirus continue to effect a number of sports.
The Formula One Chinese Grand Prix has also been recently cancelled, while organisers of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo later this year remain adamant that their showpiece will go ahead as scheduled.