 England's sevens squad celebrate in Hong Kong last year |
The International Rugby Board (IRB) have cancelled the Beijing Sevens tournament because of the risk of a pneumonia outbreak spreading from Hong Kong to China. The IRB said on Friday that its decision to cancel the Beijing leg of the IRB Sevens was "a result of the deteriorating circumstances surrounding the spread of the Sars Virus."
Mike Miller, the IRB chief executive officer, said: "This decision has not been taken lightly, particularly in view of Beijing's importance in the worldwide development of rugby.
"The Chinese Rugby Union have worked tirelessly to stage this event and we greatly appreciate their efforts.
"However, the welfare of the players is paramount and as a responsible governing body this was the only choice open to us."
This week's Hong Kong Sevens will go ahead on the government's advice that the pneumonia outbreak presented little risk of infections in open areas.
Argentina, France and Italy have decided to pull out of the tournament which will kick off on Friday.
They have been replaced by Namibia, Tonga and Holland.
MMIX
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