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London, March 11 (IANS) India's Fed Cup playoff against Latvia, which was scheduled to be held on April 17 and 18, stands postponed, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Wednesday.
In addition, the ITF announced that the Fed Cup finals, which were to take place from April 14 to 19, has now been postponed amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"The ITF Covid-19 Advisory Group has been monitoring the global spread and impact of Covid-19 since early February 2020, in continuous consultation with independent medical and travel advisers as well as international and national authorities," the ITF said in its statement.
"After careful consideration and close discussion with the ITF Board, the Local Organising Committee and in light of today's announcement by the Hungarian government regarding indoor events, it is with regret that the ITF has announced the postponement of the Fed Cup Finals, originally scheduled to take place from April 14-19 at the Laszlo Papp Sport Arena in Budapest.
"The event organisers will contact all ticket holders in the next 48 hours to advise them on their options," it said.
The Fed Cup finals is an Olympic qualification event and the ITF said that it is "working closely with the IOC to address any impact this may have on athlete's eligibility for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."
It also announced that the Fed Cup play-offs due to take place on April 17-18 in eight locations around the world have also been postponed and alternative dates in 2020 will be announced at a later date.
ITF President David Haggerty said, "We are extremely disappointed to have to make this decision, but we will not risk the safety and welfare of players, captains, event staff or spectators. This decision has not been made lightly; the threat posed by the COVID-19 is a serious one and calls for us to act responsibly as a federation and as human beings. This situation goes beyond sport.
"New dates for the Finals and for the Play-offs will be announced in due course and will primarily be guided by the length of time that tennis as a whole is affected by COVID-19. We will continue to collaborate with our colleagues across the sport to ensure that the impact on players, tournaments, rights holders and fans is as minimal as possible.
"In the meantime, the ITF COVID-19 Advisory Group will continue to monitor the situation closely and further decisions will be based on the facts, official data and expert advice."
--IANS
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