Coronavirus: Dubai postpones Government Games 2020
UAE National Sports Day also suspended as part of preventive measures against coronavirus
Dubai: In the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, Dubai’s Government Games 2020 has been postponed until further notice.
On Sunday night, Dubai Media Office took to Twitter to make the announcement as part of the UAE’s preventive measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The event was scheduled to take place from March 18 to 21 on Kite Beach near Burj Al Arab.
The third edition of the Government Games is organised by the Executive Council of Dubai, in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, and would have seen the addition of the ‘International City Teams’, which was to held under the theme One Team, One Spirit.
Last week, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP)announced that six new cases of the new coronavirus were detected through the early reporting system. The infected persons were of different nationalities, including four Iranians, one Bahraini and one Chinese.
This brings the total number of peoples diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UAE to 19 cases. The newly infected persons came from Iran before the suspension of flights from Iran.
All of the new cases had come to the UAE from the Islamic Republic of Iran ahead of the travel ban enforced recently, said MoHAP in a statement.
“Government Games 2020 has been postponed in line with local and international measures being taken to ensure the health and safety of the public,” said the media office.
Further preventive measures also included the suspension of UAE National Sports Day, which was postponed until further notice.
“The National Olympic Committee has decided to postpone the National Sports Day until further notice. The decision has been taken on the recommendation of the Executive Office of the event in coordination with all concerned parties,” said the organising committee.
National Sports Day was scheduled to take place on March 5, under the theme Emirates Unite Us. The initiative paves the way for people of determination, children, and seniors to practice sports activities befitting them in a simple way that brings meaningful benefits to them, besides spreading happiness and positivity amongst community members.