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SARS causes delay of Chinese soccer season; Is it safe enough for Yao to leave?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Sane, Apr 24, 2003.

  1. Sane

    Sane Member

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    China delays start of professional soccer season due to SARS fears


    April 24, 2003
    BEIJING (AP) -- China delayed the start of its soccer season Thursday because of concerns over severe acute respiratory syndrome.

    The Chinese Football Association said women's league games scheduled for May have been postponed until June or July, casting doubt on the World Cup, which is set to start in Shanghai on Sept. 23.

    Chinese officials and FIFA, soccer's world governing body, are monitoring the situation and have not planned to postpone or cancel the World Cup.


    Three men's leagues were scheduled to start playing in mid-May, but the association said matches have been suspended indefinitely. A statement posted on its Web site said new dates would be announced later.

    Other sports events in China have been canceled since the outbreak of SARS, which has killed at least 110 people there. The women's world ice hockey championship and an international rugby tournament were scrapped.

    Asian soccer officials have postponed Olympic qualifiers and women's World Cup qualifiers, while English Premier League teams Everton and Aston Villa have canceled offseason trips to mainland China and Hong Kong.

    Practice will continue, but teams have been ordered to enforce measures to ensure players and staff take precautions against the disease.

    Also Thursday, 15 Chinese athletes withdrew from an IAAF Grand Prix track and field meet in Japan, Kyodo News Agency reported.

    Chinese officials informed Japanese organizers by letter that their athletes decided to stay home from the May 10 meet at Osaka in order not to cause ``unnecessary trouble.''

    So far, Japan has no confirmed cases of SARS. World-record holder Tim Montgomery is among 70 athletes still scheduled to take part in the meet.

    The Danish Rugby Union also canceled a May 12 exhibition against Hong Kong in Copenhagen, Denmark, because of the ``continued serious situation'' regarding SARS.

    The union said it considered the risk of infection small, but decided it was in the players' best interest to call off the match.

    Worldwide, SARS has killed at least 261, with more than 4,300 cases of infection reported.


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    I think it's absolutely silly that Yao is going to China, and I fully expect many teams to cancel their trips to South-East Asia for the Basketball qualifiers.
     
  2. PhiSlammaJamma

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    My Toronto trip next week got cancelled too. SARS is getting around like a ninja in pantyhose. I guess baseball is dealing with the whole bluejay situation as we speak.
     
  3. Quakes

    Quakes Member

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    The Rox need to hog tie Yao down in Houston! May make sense for them to just fly all his buddies and family over for a visit... pay for the best Shanghai chef to come cook for him for the summer of something...

    Sigh... too much paranoia... :D
     
  4. Toughtown

    Toughtown Member

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    This post is ridiculous.
     
  5. Sane

    Sane Member

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    Why is it ridiculous?

    I am seriously seriously worried. Apparently, they closed down all schools in Beijing.

    SARS is VERY serious in China, and with such a large population and so much interaction, the possibility of it spreading is higher.
     
  6. KeepJuaquin

    KeepJuaquin Member

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    I think he's already gone. Oh well!

    It is dangerous...but oh well!

    Ain't his fault!

    He signed a contract...has to return.

    Oh well!
     
  7. hikanoo49

    hikanoo49 Member

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    What were you going to do in Toronto?
     
  8. ROXTXIA

    ROXTXIA Contributing Member

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    Steve was intending to travel to China this summer. Is that still on?
     
  9. w00kie

    w00kie Member

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    take it easy....Toronto is very safe. SARS is under control. I live in toronto, and I dont see people wearing masks, pretty much life as usual here. Do not believe everything u see on TV.
     
  10. Panda

    Panda Member

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    SARS is not serious in China, after two months of spreading, only 2000 + cases so far. That's not a lot considering the size of population. The mortality rate is pretty low, at around 4 percent. Many of the dead had chronic diseases in the first place.

    Yao doesn't go out and interact much with common folks anyway. If he isn't extremely unlucky, he wouldn't catch it. If he caught it but treat it early, it's usually containable. The virus fades with time within body, staying in hospital and get treatment for two to three weeks is usually enough for the vast majority of patients.

    Yao needs to go back to China, meet his girlfriend then hit the sack, if he stays in the USA, god knows if he will get AIDS fooling around.
     
  11. BubbaMac

    BubbaMac Contributing Member

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    This quote is one for the ages...Good job.
     
  12. paxil

    paxil Contributing Member

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    You got more chance to kill by a car accident than by SARS. I think at least 100 people got killed by car accident per day in China. SARS only kills, at the peak, around 20 a day.

    Just wonder why people are so freaked out. Remember people are piling up food and water for at the end of year of 1999?
     
  13. kh0001

    kh0001 Contributing Member

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    People is bound to fear of unknown. According to my understanding, SARS will severely deteriorate the function of lung that requires months to recover.

    Even the chance of infection is low, I hope Yao does take adequate preventive measure.

    KH
     
  14. Paul Harrison

    Paul Harrison Contributing Member

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    First there was the habitual hush-hush;
    and then it blew up in the government's face;
    now it's the typical bureaucratic overreaction;
    it's all about saving face at this point.

    SARS as a disease is not that bad. 2000-odd cases in six months is really nothing as far as infectious disease goes. The vast majority of the people who were exposed to the virus don't even show any symptoms. For those who do, most fully recover after some rest. People who die mostly have co-morbidity factors (like age, heart problems, diabetes, etc.)
     
  15. nyquil82

    nyquil82 Contributing Member

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    i hope he stays safe and i dont doubt the cba will take care of their star. You have to respect that he is doing this for his national team, regardless of the threat of sars. That's more than you can say about some of our country's players.
     
  16. robbie380

    robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ)
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    We should be more worried about Yao catching the flu or getting struck by lightning. SARS is so media hyped its not even funny.
     
  17. Sane

    Sane Member

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    Tell me this though, if they delayed the soccer season, then aren't the chances pretty good that something similar will happen to the qualifiers? If not in China, then teams that should visit won't travel there.

    Why risk it? I thought China was a giant of Asian basketball, can't they win without Yao?
     
  18. wildhorse

    wildhorse Member

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    If possible, I think the whole China Basketball NT should assemble in USA to avoid Sars. Training with USA teams togother can improve rapidly for the China NT. I wonder why Yao would rather go back to Shanghai regardless of the threat of Sars. Maybe Yao want the honeymoon with his girlfriend and release the androgenic hormone in his body out.
     
  19. njsun

    njsun Contributing Member

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    My only hope is:

    due to SARS, the asia basketball game get cancelled. So Yao can get back as soon as possible.
     
  20. PhiSlammaJamma

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    The World Health Organisation issued a Travel Advisory and the CDC has a travel alert. A lot of people CANNOT GO to Toronto because if they do they will be on a 10 day quaratine as demanded by many goverment and medical organizations. People can get back into the states, but they are not allowed to work for 10 days. So this is much bigger than people just deciding to go or not go. You won't see any American doctors in Toronto for the most part because they'll lose 10 days of work. I think 10,000 Cancer Doctors had their conference cancelled at the sheraton a few weeks ago. Simply no choice for a lot of people. I would say that Doctors are about 50% "I would go" and 50% "I would not go" if they were supposed to be in Toronto even before the 10 day quarantine.
     

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