European Tour Kenya Open postponed over COVID-19 fears
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E-mail Xinhua, March 7, 2020
The European Tour 2020 Magical Kenya Open has been postponed to a later date due to the coronavirus outbreak, the organizers said on Mar. 6.
The Kenya Open Golf Limited (KOGL) said the event has been pushed back following the government's decision to postpone all conferences and meetings of an international nature in the country for the next 30 days.
This year's Kenya Open was scheduled for March 12 to 15 in Nairobi.
"I have conveyed the Government of Kenya's decision to the European Tour and they have assured us of their full support and we will be announcing new dates for the championship in due course," KOGL chairman Peter Kanyago said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
The European Tour also released a statement confirming the postponement of the Championship.
"We understand and totally respect the decision made by the Government of Kenya in these difficult times," Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour said.
"We are looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the season, but that remains simply a possibility right now - we have no definitive plans at this stage."
The cancellation comes at huge cost for the organizers who were expecting an international field of golfers from some of the countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak including Italy, Britain, France and South Africa.
Last weekend, the last regional qualifier for the Kenya Open was played at the same Karen course where Kenya's Greg Snow shot an impressive final round of 68 on the last day to emerge as winner with a total score of 4-under par 280.
In football, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Kenya and Comoros on March 25 scheduled for Nairobi is the other international event that falls under the 30-day government window but it is not clear whether it has also been called off.
