The Absolute Racing team for the legendary endurance race Le Mans 24H in France had to change their original team registration from China to Germany to take part in the event, according to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
This caused surprise ahead of the French event but a WEC spokesperson explained that “due to Covid-19, they [the Chinese National Sporting Authority (ASN)] are not encouraging teams to race abroad,” it was reported in Sportscar365.
The change resulted in the Absolute team having to register as a German entrant at the last minute, securing a license through the German ASN. Due to the last-minute nature of the change, the team still raced, flying the Chinese flag over its car.
Another team racing in the same event, HubAuto Racing (LMGTE-Pro), had better luck, with their entry unaffected as it had been registered under Chinese Taipei on the entry list.
The team was, however, flying a Taiwanese flag in both the paddock and the car, according to sources verified by the Times.
Football match to be hosted in Doha
The football match between China and Japan, part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar final round for Group B, will take place at a neutral venue, the AFC confirmed.
According to the Confederation, this decision is in line with “challenges faced by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) in organizing its home matches in light of the travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The match scheduled to take place on September 7 will now be held in Doha, Qatar.
The Confederation’s statement adds that after the decision was taken, the AFC started working in partnership with the CFA, the Japan Football Association and the Qatar Football Association “to ensure the safe passage and wellbeing of all stakeholders.”
This reflects the inability of the CFA to allow the Japanese team entry into Chinese territory due to Covid-19 prevention and control measures that impose restrictions on all foreign nationals.
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