Indian Wells Cancelled Over Coronavirus Concerns

by Staff | March 8th, 2020, 11:02 pm
  • 46 Comments

In one of the biggest tennis stories in recent memory, the Indian Wells Masters, which was to begin Monday, has officially been cancelled, the tournament announced a short while ago due to the Coronavirus.

The statement from the tournament:

The Riverside County Public Health Department has declared a public health emergency for the Coachella Valley after a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) locally. As a result, the 2020 BNP Paribas Open will not take place at this time due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and the safety of the participants and attendees at the event. This is following the guidance of medical professionals, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and State of California.

“There is too great a risk, at this time, to the public health of the Riverside County area in holding a large gathering of this size,” said Dr. David Agus, Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California. “It is not in the public interest of fans, players and neighboring areas for this tournament to proceed. We all have to join together to protect the community from the coronavirus outbreak.”

“We appreciate the proactive stance tournament organizers are taking to ensure public health and safety,” said Martin Massiello, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Eisenhower Health.

“We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance,” said Tournament Director Tommy Haas. “We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options.”

Any patron who has purchased tickets directly from the tournament may request a refund for the 2020 tournament, or a credit for the 2021 tournament. Patrons should click the button below to request a refund or credit.

Qualifying was to begin Monday with main draw women’s matches Wednesday, men’s main draw on Thursday. Several top players including Rafael Nadal were already at the event practicing.


Haas did say in the statement that they hope to hold the tournament at a later date, but what of the players already there, the staff and the fans who have already arrived? The tournament will issue refunds for tickets, but there are so many other issues that will have to be addressed.

No word yet from on the Miami event nor on any of the European tournaments which begin next month. And the French Open is nearly two months away and France has announced today bans on crowds of more than 1,000 people.


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46 Comments for Indian Wells Cancelled Over Coronavirus Concerns

ronn Says:

Unbelievable. How stupid can people get? Why don’t don’t they kill us all? That way none of us will get the virus, lol. I hope Djoko never goes back to Indian Wells because he’s losing points because of this.


chrisford1 Says:

Not a matter of “stupidity”, I’m afraid. People are “going” on the premise that a whole world of precautions are in order based on the preliminary epidemiological data that it is more contagious than flu and the initial death rates hit the elderly almost exclusively and those morbidity rates are 3.6% for people 60-69, 7.4% those between 70 and 79, and nearly 14% of those 80 to 87.5.
The present flu’s death rate is 0.0145% across all age groups.

Djokovic only loses 45 points at Indian Wells, Nads loses 360, in the small potato category of COVID-19 related Indian Wells unfortunate turns of events. And I am afraid Indian Wells is just the start of bad COVID-19 related news for tennis. Not to mention economies, trade, tourism, hospitals. The big sports impact for America is basketball. Not just the pros but all the college playoffs – where the talk is playing to empty arenas. Japan has said they may need a month to decide on whether to cancel the Olympics or not.
I am very angry that Indian Wells fell to the Chicommie predilection for undue secrecy that allowed their pandemic to spread before more containment measures could be deployed.. And at the medieval era filth of their food markets, and why they just have to eat a bowl of minced raw bat soaked in venomous snake blood and dusted with powdered endangered species pangolin scales from Africa. All washed down with bad Chinese beer soaked in civet cat entrails.
Or maybe that is just me…..


Wog Boy Says:

OTT


Wog Boy Says:

^^^
..decision to cancel IW.


PK Says:

Is the demographic that attends Indian Wells that old? I mean, for anyone above 70 the lethality of covid-19 starts to climb…

Loved Chris Ford’s exposé of Chinese fine-dining. I think I’ll do tacos for dinner tonight!


j-kath Says:

Goodness – a bit premature for IW to cancel in relation to spread of Coronisvirus re. the USA. A reasonable balance is for the audience to wear thin plastic gloves because it is mostly the hands that spread it – yes, coughing too but you can have a paper tissue handy. (At least I hope so, as that’s what I’m doing)……just try not to sit too close to a Chinese or Italian!


Wog Boy Says:

The owner of IW is 75, though he had couple of (dodgy) plastic surgeries in order to look younger.
He made executive decision to cancel it, what was wrong with playing it without spectators like they are doing it in Europe, he can afford it, he is worth 60 billion dollars and he would have a chance to have a stadium all for himself…and his mistress…


Wog Boy Says:

After seeing on 60 minutes few nights ago story about live animal markets in China, including video from the markets where they sell live animals next to already slaughtered animals (cross contamination) specially the animals in the cages that I thought they are selling them as a pets, but reporter said they are sold as food I wanted to spew, but literally so, I couldn’t watch until the end.

I am considering becoming vegan, does anyone has Jelena’s number?


Wog Boy Says:

BTW, my dear TX-ers, how are you doing with toilet paper in your respective countries?
If you have some extra rolls can you send them over please. You can’t buy them anymore here, and I am not joking.
I am thinking on investing in bidet, desperate times call for desparerate measures.


chrisford1 Says:

Aw sh*t, Wog Boy! That is bad news! (haha!)
No TP Down Under. My nephew is married to a beautiful Australian woman and she just told him this week they are out of TP in Adelaide where half her family is.
It demands scatological jokes but at the same time isn’t really that funny.
The Americans use more paper towels by far than any other country. Rags to wipe counters? Euuww, filthy to US people!
So the obvious solution to an American out of TP is to go to paper towels, paper napkins, newspaper. Flush toilets are not meant for those materials, so you need a plastic trash back to deposit the used stuff in and dispose before Australia’s national bird can get in and create swarms.
Hope this helps. If not, look up”The Muslim Way” of toiletry.

On tennis related news, I don’t know if Miami will be held or if Rafa would hang around if it was, because he hates Miami and has never won there. If he doesn’t I expect Novak to be #1 until the end of Monte Carlo Apr 18th, assuming THAT tournament is held. Novak’s at 281 weeks as #1 now, Pete Sampras is at 286. Passing Pete will be a huge moment. That is the good news.
The bad news is that if Miami is also cancelled, or does poorly there – he gets no point cushion going into clay season and who has #1 after late April will depend on who does better on Euroclay – Rafa or Novak.


Wog Boy Says:

CF1, The people are going nuts, they are stockpiling like they are going to be in isolation at least 6 months.
I wasn’t joking, I went (by my wife’s order) 2 days ago to look for toilet paper in 4 major supermarkets chains and couldn’t find a single roll of TO, not a single one, and now she is blaming me for being incompetent to find bloody TP!
At one stage you couldn’t buy hand sanitizer and wet towels (custom officers cough somebody trying to smuggle 1.5 tone to Asia, you can find them now if you look hard, but not TP, have a look in this video, they are literally fighting over TP:

https://youtu.be/Y1nEnOmC6IQ


PK Says:

This just published by “Business Insider”:

“Wuhan coronavirus may have circulated in pangolins before people”

Chris Ford was right!? How did he know?


Giles Says:

This disease is not an Effin’ joke so just stop with the humour. It is causing havoc all over the world !!


Old School Says:

Player’s livelihood affected, players inconvenienced by a politically manipulated decision. Nation of 325 million, 400 cases is not a pandemic although media is declaring this a pandemic. The intent is tank the economy, disrupt our lives and these tournament officials are complicit. The show must go on! Bar spectators, reduce purse accordingly, but play the matches!

This fake pandemic will pass, players should teach these spineless tournament officials and boycott next year.


RZ Says:

@PK – yes, a lot of IW attendees, as well as many of the people who live in the greater area, are in the older age range and would be in the high-risk category for the COVID-19. Palm Springs and Palm Desert, right near IW, is a popular among retirees. Also a lot of Canadian retirees will spend the winter there.

Originally I thought the cancellation was a bit much (some selfishness there, as it means I don’t get to go watch). But when you consider that tennis players travel internationally on a regular basis, having them go to an infected area could help spread the virus around the world more rapidly. There have been more cases reported in the Coachella valley (right next to IW), where many fans stay for the tournament.

Hoping everyone here stays healthy!


Daniel Says:

Indeed media makes a frenzy about this. I was in Europ last week, Prague, Vienna than Budapest. Not a single perosn wearing masks in those countries. My flight back to Brazil was from Paris with a stop in Rome and judging by tv looked like Parisan were all on masks. Stayed a day there and could count in one hand how many people were wearing masks. Only in airport it increased a bit.

But arriving in Rome, never seen an international airport that empty before (been to 30 countries), around 50-65% traffic. But not majority of people were wearing masks either, just in flight most of elderly people.

I was on alchool gel all the time washing my hands constantly, other than that no major concerns.

The impact in global enconomy will be devastating for a virus that has a 2.2 (compared to a regular flu 1.3) contamination rate, and a mortality rate also a bit higher than regular flu.

To me media is taking it out of proportion.


SG1 Says:

The media reaction is always over the top these days regardless of the situation so I don’t think you can determine the severity of the crisis based on its reaction. A person I went to school with is presently under self-imposed quarantine after being notified that he was at a conference with a person that tested positive for COVID19. It’s a serious crisis, particularly for older folks and those with immunity issues.


Django Says:

It’s lethal because it can develop into Bilateral Interstitial Pneumonia…


Wog Boy Says:

Certain powers are manipulating world into the recession and chaos of unseen proportions in the history of mankind, this is not conspiracy theory this is the fact. That’s the only way those “powers” can function and survive.


j-kath Says:

Wog Boy: Yes, the way they slaughter animals in China – I am so, so sad. I’ve also seen a documentary exposing the same inhuman practice in the USA – I was in tears.


RZ Says:

Jon Wertheim’s mailbag for this week has some explanation behind the decision to cancel the tournament. https://www.si.com/tennis/2020/03/11/mailbag-indian-wells-cancelled-coronavirus-impact-tennis


Wog Boy Says:

RZ, you do realise that it was only one known case and that was the member of local (rich) society and that they cancelled the tournament because they didn’t want commoners to come and possibly bring more cases into their exclusive paradise? Even aftet ATP officials asked the richest of them to play without spectators he said
“No, it’s my toy and I am not letting anybody play with my toy”
You do realise that instead of isolating that person and to put the rest who came in contact with that person they decided to kill entire tournament because of their selfishness, have they closed those upmarket golf courses and the rest in the area?
Can you imagine if the rest of the world start to operate with that logic and other industries?
I just hope that Miami will show the way to those rich a$$holes.


Wog Boy Says:

PK, for whatever it worth, you were right, if only those playeyrs, who alreadwere in IW and found through social media that tournament was cancelled, have balls and boycott it next year, but they don’t have balls, most of the world is desexed these days.


Wog Boy Says:

^^^ correction, it was Old School who mentioned boycott.


RZ Says:

Wog Boy – I’m just sharing some information. No need to shoot the messenger.


Wog Boy Says:

Sorry, I wasn’t shooting anyone and those information were well known anyway before you tried to justify it with your first post.
I was referring more to you previous post where you said it was more cases, not just one and then you contradict yourself with second post.
I just posted my opinion about it, if you don’t like tough luck.


Wog Boy Says:

Sure, after the tournament was cancelled, check the dates.


chrisford1 Says:

Miami is looking dicey. Trump banned travel from Continental Europe for 30 days, sparing the UK for some reason. There are some exceptions, but mention of 2 weeks to 3 weeks of quarantine when arriving. Certain nations in the EU are talking about reciprocating as they discuss joining Italy in shutting most of travel to or from their countries down, banning large gatherings, closing schools and universities.
The NBA season is suspended until further notice, by order of it’s Commissioner, Nosferatu.
WHO declared today a global pandemic exists.
US’s multibillion dollar College basketball championships are in doubt. Some want them to go on with no fans there, others wish to cancel them altogether.


SG1 Says:

People’s health is more important than any tennis tournament. It takes courage to do the things that have to be done. It’s easy to turn a blind eye and say “This won’t happen to me.” I don’t know that today’s generation has ever faced a threat like this but the flu pandemic of the early 20 the century killed countless millions. If the people that lived in that time were around today they would tell us to take heed. Even more so now because the world is much functionally smaller than it was 100 years ago. If there was political will to do what has to be done, this pandemic could be put in check but there isn’t.


Wog Boy Says:

The list of reasons why Spanish flue that killed millions of people in 1918/19 is not comparable with corona virus in 2020 is so long that’s not worth starting it, nevertheless I’ll just remind you, it was WW1, flue was brought in Europe by American soldiers, press wasn’t allowed to write about it (otherwise all the soldiers would have deserted because they were dropping dead from the flue more than from German bullets) medicine was so “advanced” that they didn’t even have a microscope strong enough to pinpoint mutated virus nor medicine to stop the disease, in today conditions Spanish flue wouldn’t be any more harmful than any other ordinary flue.
To repeat, you are talking about Europe in the middle of the Great War, already destroyed, hungry and very malnutritioned, underdressed, cold and sick dying in hundreds of thousands from typhus, yes TYPHUS not Spanish flue that just took over from typhus and killed more people than it was casualties on all sides in the WW1, compare that with todays world and where is medicine today?

I just feel bad for Spainards, since the only reason it’s called “Spanish” is because they were neutral in WW1 and had free press that was writing about disease, America’s, UK, French press were not allowed to mention it, they basically sacrificed tens of millions of people in order to win the war by keeping quiet, was it worth it, I don’t know, after all WW1 had different causes from WW2, very different, and if it wasn’t for the way Germany was forced to sign capitulation Hitler would have never come to power and WW2 would have never happen, ask great American President Woodrow Wilson if you can find him, he warned France and UK to leave some dignity to Germans in 1918, they didn’t listen.


Wog Boy Says:

Meanwhile, last night in Sydney, I am so proud of Aussies, they didn’t cave to Corona, they came in numbers to support their teams at the opening match of the season, I was there, though my club lost:(

https://youtu.be/0KBxRMZ0cP4


skeezer Says:

Meanwhile, Australia’s ordered all travelers arriving in the country will have to self-isolate for 14 days to try and stem the spread of the new coronavirus.


j-kath Says:

Chrisford 1: Trump has now changed his mind about the UK due to a huge increase in number of UK citizens affected by the C-virus.


j-kath Says:

Skeezer: I was staggered by New Zealand’s numbers….wow. Apart from Scottish figures (as opposed to UK) we are still modest….but not holding my breath. The country that I fear the most is South Africa – despite apartheid having officially approx. gone a couple of decades ago – the terrible poverty and over-crowded African villages are so deprived that C-virus will
be like a nuclear bomb. Let’s hope I’m wrong.


skeezer Says:

j-kath,
Hope you are wrong also. Stay healthy and safe everyone.

Wash those hands, that includes you know who you are ;)


Wog Boy Says:

Meanwhile in Australia:

-All major sport codes decided to continue competing until further notice without spectators, (will be televised) that includes Baskeball play offs, Rugby League (NRL), Aussie Rules (AFL), football (FFA), inevitably player will catch virus and they are working on plan B.

-Still chaos in supermarkets, no toilet paper, senior citizens are given 7am-8am exclusive shopping time only for them to minimise chances of mixing with virus and because of idiots who are buying everything and not giving chances to oldies to buy necessities and let us be honest they need really very little of groceries and toilet paper. Supermarkets are also preparing $30 worth of necessities already packed for oldies.
Watching the TV I can see it’s not much better in America and EU, maniacal shopping in supermarkets.

-Now for those who are thinking that I am sitting somewhere safe and talking BS (not that I don’t talk BS;), I am in industry that is exposed the most to coronavirus, charter/tourist industry, but you have to keep the sense of humor, you cannot just stop breathing because the world is in derp sh$t, no?
Yes, tomorrow I am doing my last two runs from MS Artania German cruise ship to airport, all cruises have been cancelled.
I’ve been doing it through entire virus crises, every day meeting and greeting 50-100 people a day from various cruises and shuttling them around Sydney and around showing them local places of interest, people who came from different parts of the world and visiting different places before they docked in Sydney (high risk people), that includes The World cruiser, which docked few weeks ago and stayed 4-5 days, even them (the richest of rich Americans) never put the mask nor stayed on the ship, I was impressed with them, we all knew who they are and how filthy rich they are (they are residents on the ship where apartments cost 2-15 million US dollars), but they treated all of us like we are one of them, no arrogance whatsoever.

If you don’t hear from me that means that one of those thousand that I looked after in the last two months passed the thing to me, well, you have to dye from something, no;)?

PS
I didn’t have to go back on the road, I could stay in the office, but I wanted to show coach captains and tour guides that we are together in this sh$t, if it’s meant to be it’s meant to be.


chrisford1 Says:

WB writes – “If you don’t hear from me that means that one of those thousand that I looked after in the last two months passed the thing to me, well, you have to dye from something, no;)?”

MB, my impression of your age is late 40s and early 50s, based on how you write about work and family. If so, your chances of getting it are vanishingly small.
Say a prayer for Skeezer and perhaps a prayer to all his cats now cooped up with him in his barricaded abode.

Best thoughts to Van Persie and others on the continent, and the ladies of the UK writing here as well, without any age speculation!


Alison Hodge Says:

Hubby went to the supermarkets , and the shelves are getting scarily empty, running out of alcohol gel, loo rolls, pasta of all things, and the care home i work at is on lock down, nobody out and nobody in, and one old ladies family member has the virus dark times ahead ….


Wog Boy Says:

CF1, thanks for the compliment, but add another 10 years, though I look younger;) and I am still “immature and refusing to grow up”, diagnosis established by my youngest and she is qualified to do so, she works with a disadvantaged kids with learning difficulties (one on one) and I am one of them, she is using me for practice, but it’s ok, I still love her.

I flatly refuse to grow up, what’s good in growing up?

See you all at end of this rough patch of the road (life wasn’t meant to be easy) it want be easy it want be quick but we will make it, stay safe my TX-ers.

One more thing, my tip how to chase the viruses away from you, garlic garlic and again GARLIC, in any shape and form washed down with brandy, even if you are taking the risk of being kicked out of bedroom by your partner.

Two of many dishes (salats) with raw garlic:

-Take two fresh garden cucumbers, cut them on half and then slice them, chop few claws of garlic, add olive oil, apple vinegar and salt, mix and then add quality thick Greek yogurt, nice and rich thick layer of yogurt.
Don’t forget to wash it down with brandy or it won’t work;)

-Grill long capsicums, peel them all but leave them otherwise intact, lay them in the dish and sprinkle with salt and chopped GARLIC, then another layer of grilled capsicums and again salt and garlic, when you finish top up with olive oil and apple vinegar, leave in the fridge for an hour or two, and don’t forget to wash it down with brandy.

That was my contribution how to fight that illegal immigrant, coronavirus.


Wog Boy Says:

^^^
Cucumber salad eat when you make it, otherwise cucumber becomes soggy.
Capsicums one you can make larger amount and have it for a few days, just keep it in the fridge.


Alison Hodge Says:

Wogboy i have alot of admiration for your daughter working with disadvantaged kids, what a rewarding job, which must be tough at times too ….


Wog Boy Says:

Thanks Allison, it was her choice and she looks happy and fulfilled working with marginalised youth and disadvantaged young people, I would lie if I say I am not worried, but again you have to do what you like to do, life is to short, it’s one and shouldn’t be wasted.
When she was at her last year at Uni she had to do 6 months work placement, if student can’t find it then University is finding it for you, just by chance and through my work as charter operator I asked one not for profit organisation that exclusively works with marginalised youth if they can take her, they reluctantly agreed and she loved it and they loved her, after she graduated she continued working with them as a volunteer until she found full time job in a school doing what she loves, it’s not fair to name that not for profit organisation but they are doing marvellous job with young disadvantaged people, great bunch of dedicated people.


Wog Boy Says:

^^^ Alison not Allison, blame autocorrect:(


Alison Hodge Says:

Wogboy lol thanks and no problem, great post thanks for sharing ….

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