The Week 2 competitions in the Chinese League of Legends Pro League have been delayed indefinitely due to the outbreak of coronavirus that has led to travel lockdowns in the country. The virus is believed to be linked to a live animal market in Wuhan, China and has led to the deaths of 56 people so far and sickened some 2,000.
Major cities in China have banned large gatherings in response to the outbreak, which comes over the celebration of the Lunar New Year festival. Travel into and out of Wuhan has been severely restricted. Professional sporting events have been suspended as well: in an announcement of a delay on an official Chinese motor sports association event, the organisation mentions an advisory from China’s General Administration of Sport to pause all sporting events scheduled through March.
“We have decided to postpone week 2 of the LPL until we can ensure the safety and health of our players and fans,” the LPL posted to its English-language Twitter feed early January 26. “To our fans, we sincerely apologize that it has come to this and we will share any and all info as soon as we can.”
Week 2 of the LPL had been scheduled for February 5, resuming after a weekend break for Lunar New Year festivities. Dot Esports notes that the LPL’s academy league, the League of Legends Development League, has also been indefinitely delayed due to the outbreak.
Team WE was set to face off against Royal Never Give up, while OMG was slated to take on Invictus in Week 2, but those contests will have to wait until conditions improve and travel through China has returned to normal.