HONG KONG • The WTA Tour has announced that the Xi'an Open scheduled for April in China has been cancelled, becoming the latest sporting event to fall victim to the coronavirus outbreak.

Over 2,200 people have died from the virus, most of them in China, where a raft of sports tournaments has been cancelled or postponed in recent weeks.

The Xi'an Open, a lower-level 125K event on the Tour, was scheduled for April 13-19.

It also puts in doubt the Kunming Open, another 125K tournament, which starts on April 27.

"Our thoughts are with everyone in China during this difficult time and we look forward to the events that are scheduled to take place this fall," said a WTA statement.

"We are watching the situation closely as there isn't anything more important than protecting the health of our players, WTA and event staff, and our fans.

"We continue to communicate with medical experts as information evolves on this virus and we will work closely with them to monitor the situation."

The Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, which was scheduled for Shanghai on April 19, was postponed last week.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships, slated for Nanjing from March 13-15, were postponed until next year.

Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said yesterday that China will play the "home" second leg of their Olympic women's football qualifier against South Korea in Sydney.

North Korea also announced yesterday that the Pyongyang Marathon, scheduled for April, has been cancelled after the country imposed a border lockdown.

REUTERS