The coronavirus is becoming a bogeyman in fitness too!

The development of the situation around the viral disease Covid-19, known as the Coronavirus, is already taking its toll on the fitness scene!

The first event of this year's IFBB Jim Manion Professional League season is the Arnold Sports Festival, which will take place in Columbus, USA, from 5 to 8 March.
Brent LaLonde, spokesman for the Arnold Sports Festival, said that no changes to the festival schedule are expected at this time.

However, the festival will not be without arrangements. These will consist of:

• health tests of all the 22,000 athletes expected (temperature measurement - if it is 38 °C or higher they will be quarantined and unable to compete, symptom check)
• asking about their whereabouts in the last 15 days
• placing hand sanitizers every 6 metres of the building corridors
• posting informative signs with hygiene guidelines.

However, the situation continues to evolve, and President Donald Trump, who recently banned those who have been in China in recent days from US soil, has extended the ban to those who have been in Iran in recent days!

As the number of those infected on Italian soil increases, it is to be expected that those who have spent some time there will also be banned from US soil!

It is thus likely that athletes from the aforementioned countries will not appear at the Arnold Sports Festival!

The Washington State Board of Health has even admitted that if there were a more dramatic increase in infected people on US soil, it would proceed to the cancellation of large public events, not including sporting ones!

Since the Arnold Sports Festival is truly a huge sporting event, drawing up to 250,000 people, cancelling it would be unpleasant not only for the athletes, organizers and spectators themselves, but also for Columbus as a whole! After all, visitors there spend over $50,000,000 each year!

The organizers of FIBO, theworld's largest fitness, wellness and healthy lifestyle trade fair,have decided to act much more decisively !
It was to take place from 2 to 5 April 2020 in Cologne, Germany.

However, the official press release states:

FIBO, the world's largest trade fair for fitness, wellness and healthy living, which was due to take place in Cologne during April, has been postponed until the second half of 2020 due to developments surrounding COVID-19.

Commenting on the announcement, Silke Frank, Portfolio Director of FIBO Global Fitness Events, further commented, "This is not an easy decision. Our customers, partners and all members of the FIBO team have worked hard for this event. While the postponement of the event is disappointing, it is imperative that we prioritize the health and safety of everyone involved. Our goal remains to provide the best customer experience for everyone who comes to FIBO."

As organiser of FIBA, Reed Exhibitions believes that the decision to move the entire show to the second half of the year will ensure that FIBO continues to serve the fitness industry while meeting the necessary safety requirements. The FIBA team will be communicating closely with customers and partners over the coming weeks to ensure that the world of Global Fitness Events is moving in the right direction during this difficult period. At the same time, together with representatives from the Koelnmesse exhibition and trade centre, they will be looking for the best available dates in the second half of the year. Every year, FIBO welcomes more than 1,000 exhibitors and around 145,000 visitors from 135 countries to Cologne.

Source:
www.10tv.com
www.fibo.com, cover image: https://fitnessvolt.com/