SPORT EVENTS AFFECTED BY CORONAVIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

The new coronavirus outbreak is also taking a toll on not only the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, but also domestic sports as well. Professional football teams have canceled training sessions in China, while Olympic preliminaries scheduled in China are also being called off.

[Pkg]

Korea's under 23 soccer team returned home after winning an AFC title and a ticket to the Olympics main round. But there's a relatively smaller turnout of fans greeting them at the airport. Compared to the scene from last year, during the u-20 team's triumphant arrival, the contrast is evident.

[Soundbite] JEONG SOO-BIN(SOCCER FAN) : "I had to wear a mask because of the coronavirus. I didn't want to miss this chance to catch them in person."

Professional football teams that usually hold Winter training in China are on high alert. Sangju and Daegu clubs decided to return home after cutting their session in China short, while Gangwon FC called off theirs completely. The scheduled Olympic preliminary matches for various sporting events will also need to change quite a bit. Women's soccer prelims were rescheduled from Wuhan, the epicenter of the viral outbreak, to Nanjing, China, and then eventually changed to Sydney, Australia. Boxing matches will take place in Jordan, instead of Wuhan. Women's basketball was also rescheduled from China to Serbia. Here in Korea, indoor winter sports are bearing the brunt of virus fears. Professional basketball and volleyball leagues are handing out masks and providing hand sanitizers, but still, a decline in spectator turn out seems inevitable.

[Soundbite] CHOI HYEON-SIK(KOREAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE) : "Masks will be handed out in stadiums and hand sanitizer and soap will be provided at gyms. There will be continued preventive measures."

Installing heat detection cameras at all indoor arenas is also being considered, but the organizations are experiencing difficulties in securing the equipment.