All sporting activities to be postponed till March 31
Just as the major sporting leagues and fixtures around the world have come to a halt, all kinds of sporting activities in the country have also been postponed till March 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russel said through a press release after a meeting with officials of different federations at the secretariat yesterday that all sporting activities should be postponed.
Following the directive, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also informed through a press release yesterday that the second-round fixtures of the ongoing Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League (BDPL) have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to postpone the second round of matches of the ongoing Bangabandhu DPDCL 2019-20 scheduled on 18 and 19 March 2020 due to unavoidable circumstances. The BCB will take further decision on rescheduling and restarting the League according to the health and safety advisory of the Bangladesh Government," the BCB's media release read.
The state minister's meeting with sports federation high-ups followed a cabinet meeting earlier in the day during which a minister had said that cricket and football matches were ongoing in the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina then instructed to close all sporting activities.
"The number of people infected by coronavirus is increasing. All the schools and colleges have already been closed due to this. Today, the prime minister instructed to close all sporting activities after this topic was brought to attention during a meeting today. And that is why I am asking you to halt all kinds of domestic sports events till March 31. Additionally, I will also request for any international events to be arranged after April," Zahid was quoted as saying in the press release.
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) also informed through a press release yesterday that the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the final round of the school football tournament that was scheduled to begin from tomorrow and the women's football league have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, the professional football league committee will meet with the club officials today to decide about the BPL.
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