Swine flu fears hit University Games
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 01, 2009 00:00
BELGRADE - The 25th world student games open today in Serbia, the biggest sporting event ever held in the Balkan state where preparations have been overshadowed by swine flu fears.
Around 10,000 athletes, coaches and other officials from 140 countries, as well as hundreds of international journalists, have been descending on Belgrade for the 12-day event, according to organisers.
The largest delegations, with around 500 members each, are from China, Russia and the United States, which said this week at least one million of its people have had swine flu this year.
Security will be provided by around 6,000 police officers, and organisers will be helped by more than 10,000 volunteers, mostly local youths but also around 500 foreigners.
That has raised concerns among health authorities of a wider swine flu outbreak Serbia, which has already reported 11 cases of its own citizens infected with the deadly A(H1N1) virus in the past few days.
Belgrade's sparkling new University Village housing athletes features a quarantine clinic, and every suspected case will be isolated there for six hours while laboratory tests are done.
Serbia put aside a budget of up to 80 million euros to hold the event, 60 percent of it spent on upgrading neglected sports facilities in the capital and mainly northern cities and towns including Novi Sad.
Sports events include archery, artistic gymnastics, athletics, basketball, diving, fencing, football, gymnastics, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and water polo.
Turkey participates to the Games with 142 athletes in six branches, including basketball, volleyball, taekwondo, athletics, judo and archery.
Athletes to watch
The main star of the athletics competition is Portugal's 2008 Olympics triple-jump champion Nelson Evora, who won the 2007 world championships with the second best jump ever of 17.74 meters.
Another seven Olympic champions are also expected to compete, as well as several world and European record-holders, notably 2008 Olympics diving champion Evgenia Kanaeva of Russia and 2007 artistic gymnastics world champion Anna Bessonova of Ukraine.
Canada's team gathers eight Olympic champions and medal winners led by swimmer Brian Jones, who won three medals in at the 2007 Universiade in Bangkok.
The Universiade, staged every two years, begins in Serbia with a formal opening ceremony at the Beogradska Arena today.
The largest delegations, with around 500 members each, are from China, Russia and the United States, which said this week at least one million of its people have had swine flu this year.
Security will be provided by around 6,000 police officers, and organisers will be helped by more than 10,000 volunteers, mostly local youths but also around 500 foreigners.
That has raised concerns among health authorities of a wider swine flu outbreak Serbia, which has already reported 11 cases of its own citizens infected with the deadly A(H1N1) virus in the past few days.
Belgrade's sparkling new University Village housing athletes features a quarantine clinic, and every suspected case will be isolated there for six hours while laboratory tests are done.
Serbia put aside a budget of up to 80 million euros to hold the event, 60 percent of it spent on upgrading neglected sports facilities in the capital and mainly northern cities and towns including Novi Sad.
Sports events include archery, artistic gymnastics, athletics, basketball, diving, fencing, football, gymnastics, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and water polo.
Turkey participates to the Games with 142 athletes in six branches, including basketball, volleyball, taekwondo, athletics, judo and archery.
Athletes to watch
The main star of the athletics competition is Portugal's 2008 Olympics triple-jump champion Nelson Evora, who won the 2007 world championships with the second best jump ever of 17.74 meters.
Another seven Olympic champions are also expected to compete, as well as several world and European record-holders, notably 2008 Olympics diving champion Evgenia Kanaeva of Russia and 2007 artistic gymnastics world champion Anna Bessonova of Ukraine.
Canada's team gathers eight Olympic champions and medal winners led by swimmer Brian Jones, who won three medals in at the 2007 Universiade in Bangkok.
The Universiade, staged every two years, begins in Serbia with a formal opening ceremony at the Beogradska Arena today.