South Korea asks NRAI to clarify position on coronavirus

Shooters are keen to participate in the ISSF World Cup to be held next month in New Delhi.

A worker wearing protective gears sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday. Thirteen people have died due to the virus in the country.

The national shooting federation of South Korea has asked its Indian counterpart to make its position clear on whether athletes from there would be allowed at next month’s ISSF World Cup here.

South Korea is one of the global hotbeds of the deadly coronavirus. There have been more than 1,700 confirmed cases of infections in the country and 13 people have died.

In a letter to National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President Raninder Singh, Korea Shooting Federation Secretary General Yongjae Lee has said that shooters are keen to participate in the event from March 15 to 26. “Currently, most of the Korean athletes are wishing to acquire Minimum Qualification Standard at the ISSF World Cup — New Delhi. However, there is a great deal of concern and worries among athletes and officials that they might not be able to participate,” Lee said.

“Kindly state your position regarding COVID-19,” he added.

Lee said the tickets for the athletes and officials have already been booked and their visa fees have also been paid.

The letter was prompted by a February 26 directive from the Indian Embassy there in which it was stated that people coming to India from Korea, Iran and Italy — all severely affected by the virus — after February 10 “may be quarantined for 14 days on arrival.”

Six countries, including epicentre China and Taiwan, have pulled out of the World Cup due to the virus.