FISU: “MERS won’t mar Universiade”

Less than a month before the opening ceremony of the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, the International University Sports Federation (FISU) Medical Committee has issued an official statement on the recent outbreak of Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome, Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) in the host country Korea.  According to the statement posted on the FISU website (www.fisu.net), which was accompanied by official letters to the 2015 Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC) and to participating nations, “the MERS outbreak which has been quite limited will not have any effect on the games.”  The committee points to “very stringent precautions” being taken by the Korean government, which has been coordinating containment efforts with the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The WHO is not recommending any entry screening and have not recommended any application of travel or trade restrictions,” reads the statement from the FISU Medical Committee, which also points to international recognition it has received for its manner of dealing with past cases of viral outbreaks, such as SARS.  The SARS outbreak happened in 2003 and affected many countries in Asia not long before another Korean city, Daegu, hosted the XXII Summer Universiade, which did not include a badminton event.

Even if the Universiade is expected to go ahead, several other sporting events have been postponed or cancelled on the peninsula.  The National Para-Badminton Championships, which were supposed to have been held this week in Andong, have been postponed indefinitely, as have the Summer Badminton Championships, the largest domestic competition in the country.  The latter has both individual and team events in the elementary, middle, and high school divisions, as well as university and pro team divisions.  It was to have been held from June 11-26 in the southern port city of Yeosu, about 100km southeast of Gwangju.

More information was available on the Gwangju 2015 website at:

http://www.gwangju2015.com/fisu-releases-official-statement-of-mers-cov-outbreak//?c_page=1&brd_sbox_type=&brd_sbox_txt=&brd_cat=news