South Korea to host women's football Olympic qualifier

Song Duan of China competes for the ball with Ellie Carpenter of Australia during the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Qualifier between Australia and China at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney, Australia, February 13, 2020. /VCG

The Chinese Football Association has proposed canceling the first game of the two-legged women's football Olympic qualifying tournament playoffs with South Korea due to the widespread COVID-19 epidemic in the country.

South Korea was scheduled to play its home leg in the playoff against China in Yongin on March 6. However, the deterioration of the situation in the country propelled the Chinese authorities to beg the Asian Football Confederation to think twice out of concern of all players' health.

So far, there have been 833 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in South Korea with seven deaths.

Group B of the Olympic qualifying tournament, which features China, Australia, Taiwan and Thailand, was hastily moved from Wuhan to Sydney last month for the same reason.

After Team China earned themselves a two-legged contest with South Korea, with the winner taking an Olympic berth, the Asian Football Confederation announced the Chinese women's national team would play the home leg against South Korea in Sydney to avoid any travel complications from a novel coronavirus outbreak.