A swimming event in Melbourne was canceled because of fears over the A(H1N1) virus yesterday, but a top Australian health official played down the flu’s threat and said organizers had not sought government advice.
The Telstra Grand Prix, a mixed short and long-course event scheduled for June 20 and June 21, had been called off in the best interests of the swimmers, Kevin Neil, CEO of Swimming Australia, said in a statement yesterday.
The announcement came a day after an entire state rugby league team were quarantined after one of their players contracted the virus following a match in Melbourne last week.
“Swimming Australia has a duty of care in relation to our athletes, as well as ensuring we give them the best chance possible to prepare for the World Championships in Rome,” Neil said.
“It is a regrettable decision to have to make, yet one that we have made with all the information available,” he said.
Roughly half of Australia’s squad for the world championships in Rome this year had been expected to compete at the Melbourne event including Brenton Rickard, who took silver in the men’s 200m backstroke at the Beijing Olympics, and women’s 100m freestyle bronze medallist Cate Campbell.
Neil said a high proportion of school students had been expected to participate in the meeting.
Several Australian states have imposed quarantine restrictions to keep students away from school for up to a week after returning from excursions to the southern state of Victoria, where Melbourne is the capital city.
Reported A(H1N1) cases in Victoria have soared in recent weeks and prompted authorities in neighboring states and Asian countries to discourage travel there.
Of Australia’s 1,211 total cases, 1,011 have been reported in Victoria alone, Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon told reporters yesterday.
The health minister described the event’s cancelation as “regrettable” and said Swimming Australia had not consulted government health officers in making the decision.
Fewer than 10 of the flu cases nationwide had required hospitalization, she added.
“I would urge those who are organizing events to make sure that their decisions are based on medical advice and the nature of course of the event to be held,” Roxon said.
“I need to emphasise that the public health advice is very clearly that there is no need to restrict domestic travel, that this isn’t an appropriate or a proportionate response to the mild, to date, display of H1N1 in Australia,” she said.
More than 130 new cases were reported in Victoria over the weekend, local media said.
Australia head coach Alan Thompson said the grand prix event’s cancelation was not ideal but the decision had been taken with in the swimmers’ interests.
“Of course we would have liked to have staged the event, but I know coaches and swimmers are already planning on running time trials in their own states to simulate the racing they would have had in Melbourne,” Thompson said.
The A(H1N1) flu has infected more than 25,000 people in over 70 countries and killed 139, according to the WHO.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11