Highly concerned New Zealand have pushed back their arrival for next week's Credit Suisse First Boston Hong Kong Sevens by 48 hours due to the pneumonia outbreak and the impending war.
The Kiwis were the first team due to arrive - on Saturday - for the March 28-30 Hong Kong Sevens. But the outbreak of the fast-spreading pneumonia - SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - has forced the 2003 IRB Sevens leaders to delay their arrival to Monday.
'The decision behind our delay is twofold. One is the pneumonia outbreak and the other is the war,' said New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens yesterday. 'We are all very concerned with both issues and want some more time to see what the clear picture is.'
The number of pneumonia cases in Hong Kong had risen to 145 yesterday. Three new deaths have also been reported although medical authorities are unsure if a couple of them were related to the disease.
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union yesterday stressed that the annual sevens showpiece was in no danger of being postponed or cancelled. A senior official said the tournament would go ahead and had received support from the International Rugby Board.
'The IRB has reassured all unions taking part in the Hong Kong Sevens that it is safe to travel to Hong Kong. We have also passed on an assurance from the World Health Organisation and the US Centre for Disease Control [CDC] which says it is safe to travel,' said Allan Payne, HKRFU executive director.