Azerbaijani boxers to join tournaments to be held without fans

The Olympic boxing qualifier in London, in which Azerbaijani athletes will also compete, will take place behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak, Report says, citing the BBC.

The IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) announced the decision an hour after the head of European boxing said he was "very concerned" the event was taking place at the Copper Box Arena.

The event began on Saturday and will run until March 24.

BTF's decision comes amid "concerns for the public, athletes, and volunteer welfare."

The ruling will come into immediate effect on Monday.

Franco Falcinelli, the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC) president, had told BBC Sport he feared the risk of a boxer getting the virus was "very high."

"In my opinion, it's very strange that England - and the competition - is open at this hard time," he said.

The UK has confirmed 1,372 coronavirus infection cases, bringing the death toll to 35.

The new coronavirus outbreak was first recorded in late December 2019 in Wuhan, the most populous city in central China. The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was officially named Covid-19 by the WHO.

On March 11, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. 

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