It is no secret by now that the coronavirus has been causing all kinds of havoc all over the world and Quebec, Canada is one of the places that has been devastated by the virus.
However, steps are being taken to help battle the effects of the coronavirus, as the Ministry Of Health & Services is considering a ban on a combat sports in the area until a vaccine can be found for the virus.
“Like hockey, combat sports have been an integral part of Quebec culture for several decades. Whether we think of Georges St-Pierre, Lucian Bute or David Lemieux, our Quebec athletes contribute to the influence of the province around the world, both professionally and at the Olympic level,” boxing promoter Camille Estephan said to Journal De Quebec (via Karim Zidian of Bloody Elbow). “The decision that Dr. Horacio Arruda is about to take will cause irreparable damage to the sport as well as to our boxers who will be forced to be inactive for too long and who will be stripped of their belts and world rankings.”
There is no word yet on when a coronavirus vaccine could become available, with some estimates stating that one could arrive by next year.
Estephan has submitted coronavirus protocols to the Quebec government in the past, but he believes the Ministry Of Health & Services has a prejudice against boxing and other combat sports.
“We have been proactive and have carefully worked out our recovery plan by studying what was being done elsewhere in the world within other professional boxing or ultimate fighting organizations which, for their part, have already returned to action for some time. We have tried many times to establish a dialogue and work in concert with Public Health, but it must be admitted that there seems to be a prejudice against boxing since they do not want to hear anything and have no valid justification for explaining such a decision.” Estephan said.
WorldOMeters reports that 12,130,124 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus worldwide, while 550,661 of them have passed due to the virus.
