Originally scheduled to begin March 13th in Dakar, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) has been suspended as Covid-19 spreads through West Africa. The league is a collaborative effort between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation, featuring 12 teams from across the continent. The tournament was slated to visit seven cities, including Cairo, Rabat, Monastir, Lagos, Luanda, and Dakar, before concluding with the final matches in Kigali, Rwanda.
Amadou Gallo Fall, the president of the BAL, announced the postponement after Senegalese officials urged the league to reschedule to ensure public safety during the virus outbreak. Fall noted that he was deeply disappointed the event could not move forward as originally intended.
Following the detection of two Covid-19 patients at Senegal's FANN National University Hospital Centre on March 4th, the BAL decided to cancel its current schedule as a precaution. This is a significant blow, as the event was poised to be a major milestone for African sports and the first professional outing for BAL athletes; currently, there is no word on when it will be rescheduled. Additionally, NBA organizers have consulted with disease control experts and advised players to minimize physical contact, suggesting fist-bumps over high-fives and caution when signing autographs.
The global impact of the virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has been devastating, with over 50,000 confirmed cases and a death toll exceeding 2,000 people worldwide.