The outbreak of the coronavirus has affected some sports events, resulting in several postponements across the world, however, some events are going ahead in South Africa.
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro is set to host thousands of international spectators and athletes for the Ironman African Championships.
The City will also host international rugby fans as the Southern Kings are set to face the Scottish side, Edinburgh in the PRO14 championships.
Ironman is once again a sold-out event. 1 800 athletes are set to grace the shores of Port Elizabeth, and each athlete is projected to bring at least three people from their supporter base.
30% of this total is made up of internationals. Ironman officials maintain that they are aware of the situation and are following it intently.
They are following the decisions made by authorities, but at this stage, the event will go on as planned.
Former winner and coach, Raynard Tissink, says that coronavirus will be treated like any other flu or cold that any athletes prevent during their training. He says that it will be a disappointment to any athlete if the event had to be postponed or cancelled.
The Southern Kings have a two-week break before they take on Scottish outfit Edinburgh. No precautionary measures have been put in place as there has been no immediate threat in either of the countries. Media and Communications Manager of the Southern Kings, Chumani Bambani, says only matches in Italy have been affected.
“At this stage, we are very reliant on what the government will say. For example in Italy, it was the government who said all matches will be cancelled for a month. So we’ll take the lead from our government. But we are very cautious and those discussions are ongoing within our rugby circles as well but things stand now it’s business as usual.”
The Ironman African Championships are expected to take place on the 29 March. The graphic below tracks coronavirus cases in the world:
