National races postponed due to virus concerns

TDT | Manama

The Coronavirus continued to adversely affect Bahraini sport yesterday following a pair of announcements from leading sports bodies postponing or further restricting upcoming events.

The Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) announced that it has postponed the remainder of the 2019/2020 national racing season until further notice. The BMF said that the decision for the postponement was made in compliance with the precautionary measures announced by the concerned local bodies to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, and for the health and safety of the contestants, their team members, officials, and fans.

The BMF added that they are continuously monitoring the situation and a review of the postponement can be done accordingly. The announcement covers all categories of racing under the BMF umbrella, including circuit racing, karting, autocross, motocross, and others.

Leading racer Raed Raffii agreed with the BMF’s decision. “Currently, what’s most important is not the sport but the health of the community around it,” he said.

“The people who are involved in racing need to first take care of themselves and their families, and help in the prevention of this virus further spreading. “It just makes sense that racing is put on hold for now until things get better.

Once this situation is done and we can stop worrying about the virus, we can be in the right mindset to compete and go ahead and enjoy the racing.” Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that all sporting competitions and activities will be held behind closed doors until further notice.

The ministry said in a statement yesterday that it is stopping all sports inside enclosed arenas, covered playgrounds and swimming pools, until further notice.

Games and sports activities in open spaces will be allowed to continue but without spectators and provided that all preventive and precautionary measures are taken, while also implementing the guidelines announced by the Ministry of Health and the National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (Covid-19).

The parties involved should ensure that the necessary disinfection, cleanup and medical tests are carried out in accordance with the laws and regulations, the ministry added. The decisions taken should be fully respected by the youth centres and sports clubs across the Kingdom, the statement said.