Coronavirus in sport: Qatar confirms three more cases in World Cup venues

Bengaluru/Doha, April 17: FIFA 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar have confirmed three more coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic cases among workers on proposed stadiums for the quadrennial extravaganza.

Building work for the stadiums and infrastructure to stage the tournament, the first to be held in Middle East, has continued despite the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is the local organising committee, confirmed that number of infections among those involved in 2022 tournament construction has now gone to eight.

"The SC has confirmed that two staff members who work for a SC contractor have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, six workers on SC projects have tested positive," an SC statement said.

Earlier, the SC said that staff at three of the seven stadiums being built from scratch for the 2022 tournament had been affected. The SC was following health ministry guidance to respond to the cases and all those affected would continue to be paid and receive free healthcare, the statement added.

#Qatar confirms first #coronavirus cases at World Cup stadiums. By @waltonjourn. #Qatar2022https://t.co/NoXsdpbOHa via @Y7News

— David Harding (@DM_Harding) April 15, 2020

The timings of the competition, due to be held in November and December, remain unchanged by the coronavirus pandemic which has already forced the postponement of the Euro 2020 and Copa America football tournaments and the Tokyo Olympics. Both will now take place in 2021.

The Qatar 2022 World Cup will be held from November 21 to December 18 as in a break from tradition, the tournament was controversially pushed back to a winter window because of the scorching summer temperatures in the tiny Middle East country.

The organisers are building only eight stadiums for the one-month tournament and are promising to deliver the completed venues two years before the kick off.

(With inputs from AFP)