Judo Grand Prix In Morocco Cancelled Due To Coronavirus Outbreak

Once again, a huge event in the world of combat sports has been altered due to the recent coronavirus outbreak.

The International Judo Federation has cancelled the Judo Grand Prix on Rabat, Morocco, set to take place from March 6-8. Not only has the Grand Prix been cancelled, but all international competitions, exhibitions and public gatherings in Morocco have been wiped off the schedule.

“We apologize for the unexpected occurrence of the event and we do understand the inconvenience for all stakeholders, especially for our athletes and delegations,” the IJF stated in a press release. “The IJF is currently searching for the appropriate solutions for this unexpected situation and all its consequences across all levels. As a first emergency measure, the IJF has reopened the registration for Ekaterinburg Grand Slam (March 13-15) until the end of accreditation, Thursday, 12th March at 12:00pm.”

As stated above this is not the first event to be cancelled or changed due to the virus that started in China. Japan’s Sumo Grand Prix will be without spectators, boxing events had to be moved and the Israeli judo team had to cancel training camp in Tokyo. As of now, the Olympics are still on, but there is a cause for concern.

According to the latest from CNN, there have been over 90,000 global cases of the coronavirus with over 3,100 deaths. Morocco received its first case of the infection just 24 hours ago, according to Reuters.