Sports
The shadow of COVID-19 hovers over the athletics of the Diamond League
China's harsh health restrictions complicate the Shanghai and Shenzhen meetings
May 6, 2022 10:59am
Updated: May 6, 2022 12:14pm
The governing body of athletics, World Athletics, announced on Friday that it has removed meetings in Shanghai on July 30 and Shenzhen on August 6 from the 2022 Diamond League calendar due to the tough entry restrictions in China after the country was hit by another wave of coronavirus infections.
"The Diamond League announces that, due to travel restrictions and strict quarantine requirements currently in place for entry into China, the meetings in Shanghai (July 30) and Shenzhen (Aug. 6), will not be held this year," it said in a statement.
The 2022 Wanda #DiamondLeague season calendar has been restructured to ensure fair & transparent competition as two meetings in China are now unable to go ahead as scheduled.
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 6, 2022
This year’s @MemorialKamili will comply with Diamond League regulations.https://t.co/xnKBvRd8Jg
The cancelation of these events means that the calendar of the 2022 edition of the Diamond League will have to be modified because of Covid-19, despite appearing that the sport was already running normally.
This has caused the prestigious circuit to be restructured with the entry of the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in the Polish town of Chorzow, which had the Gold category in the Continental Tour and will be held on August 6, so there will be a total of 13 appointments between its start on May 13 in Doha and the end on September 7 and 8 in Zurich, Switzerland.
