By Nick Giongco
The Asia-Oceania boxing qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics have been cancelled owing to the worsening pneumonia outbreak in the host city of Wuhan.
Eumir Felix Marcial, wearing red, and the Philippine boxing team will now play the waiting game after the hosting of the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifier in Wuhan, China was scrapped. (Rio Leonelle Deluvio / Canon 1DX Mark II with 400mm f2.8 lens)
The qualification tournament was scheduled Feb. 3 to 14 but organizers decided on Wednesday that it will no longer proceed and that a new venue will be named soon.
The Philippines is bidding to assume the hosting rights after the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee, informing the body of its desire to host.
The ABAP said Manila, Baguio and the boxing hotbed of Cebu are perfect venues to stage the qualifiers, one of five that will be taking place across the globe.
There are already nine reported deaths in China as confirmed cases have been reported in the US, Thailand, Taiwan and Korea.