The United States Olympic &amp; Paralympic Committee has shelved a planned summit for athletes and media due to be staged in Los Angeles next week due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Monday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/all-italian-sporting-events-including-serie-a-suspended-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak-285360" hreflang="en">All Italian sporting events including Serie A suspended due to coronavirus outbreak</a>

The USOPC said in a statement the four-day event in California, where dozens of Team USA Olympic athletes are made available to the media, had been called off until further notice.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-fixture-delayed-due-to-confusion-over-italian-sports-ministers-post-calling-for-suspension-of-league-285134" hreflang="en">Serie A: Fixture delayed due to confusion over Italian Sports Minister's post calling for suspension of league</a>

The USOPC media summit has been held before every Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 1998.

However USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland said in a letter to athletes that a decision to scrap next week's summit was taken after consultation with health officials.

"Like so many other organizations, teams and leagues, we are reckoning with the impact of the coronavirus," Hirshland said.

"(We) came to the joint conclusion that the potential of spread or infection, however remote or unlikely, could have a real impact on the athletes of Team USA," she added.

The decision was taken out of "an abundance of caution", Hirshland noted, adding that the USOPC was bullish about the prospects of this year's Tokyo Olympics going ahead as planned in July.

"You should assume we are charging forward toward Tokyo 2020 as planned," she said. "We expect to be in Tokyo this summer, and we will take every precaution to keep Team USA athletes safe as we prepare."

The US has recorded at least 26 deaths from the coronavirus and 605 confirmed cases across 35 states, according to a Johns Hopkins tally.

The outbreak has wreaked havoc across the sporting world, with dozens of games and events cancelled or rescheduled or played behind closed doors.

On Sunday, the ATP/WTA Indian Wells tennis tournament in southern California was called off after confirmation of a COVID-19 case in the same region.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has shelved a planned summit for athletes and media due to be staged in Los Angeles next week due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Monday.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has shelved a planned summit for athletes and media due to be staged in Los Angeles next week due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Monday. Also read: All Italian sporting events including Serie A suspended due to coronavirus outbreak The USOPC said in a statement the four-day event in California, where dozens of Team USA Olympic athletes are made available to the media, had been called off until further notice. Also read: Serie A: Fixture delayed due to confusion over Italian Sports Minister's post calling for suspension of league The USOPC media summit has been held before every Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 1998. However USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland said in a letter to athletes that a decision to scrap next week's summit was taken after consultation with health officials. "Like so many other organizations, teams and leagues, we are reckoning with the impact of the coronavirus," Hirshland said. "(We) came to the joint conclusion that the potential of spread or infection, however remote or unlikely, could have a real impact on the athletes of Team USA," she added. The decision was taken out of "an abundance of caution", Hirshland noted, adding that the USOPC was bullish about the prospects of this year's Tokyo Olympics going ahead as planned in July. "You should assume we are charging forward toward Tokyo 2020 as planned," she said. "We expect to be in Tokyo this summer, and we will take every precaution to keep Team USA athletes safe as we prepare." The US has recorded at least 26 deaths from the coronavirus and 605 confirmed cases across 35 states, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. The outbreak has wreaked havoc across the sporting world, with dozens of games and events cancelled or rescheduled or played behind closed doors. On Sunday, the ATP/WTA Indian Wells tennis tournament in southern California was called off after confirmation of a COVID-19 case in the same region.

US Olympic chiefs axe media summit over virus fears

Gymnast Simone Biles on Monday described her excitement at having made the US Olympics team after she recorded yet another crushing victory at the US Olympic women&#39;s gymnastics trials a day earlier. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s still unreal at the moment, but it&#39;s still very exciting &#39;cause I know that I am on the team but it&#39;s still sinking in,&quot; Biles told journalists in San Jose. 
 
The three-time reigning world all-around champion, who has not lost a major competition since 2013, will lead a powerhouse US squad into Rio that includes London Olympic gold medalists and Fierce Five team mates Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman, 16-year-old Lauren Hernandez and Madison Kocian, the reigning world champion on uneven bars. 
 
Already in the discussion as the greatest gymnast of all-time, Biles punched her ticket to Rio in what has become typically ruthless style outdistancing the rest of the elite 14 women field by a whopping 2.100 points. 
 
With the formality of making the US team out of the way Biles has set her sights on the games in Rio where she is expected to challenge for five gold medals. 
 
(Reuters)

Simone Biles, the three-time reigning world champion, has not lost a major competition since 2013

Gymnast Simone Biles on Monday described her excitement at having made the US Olympics team after she recorded yet another crushing victory at the US Olympic women's gymnastics trials a day earlier. "It's still unreal at the moment, but it's still very exciting 'cause I know that I am on the team but it's still sinking in," Biles told journalists in San Jose. The three-time reigning world all-around champion, who has not lost a major competition since 2013, will lead a powerhouse US squad into Rio that includes London Olympic gold medalists and Fierce Five team mates Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman, 16-year-old Lauren Hernandez and Madison Kocian, the reigning world champion on uneven bars. Already in the discussion as the greatest gymnast of all-time, Biles punched her ticket to Rio in what has become typically ruthless style outdistancing the rest of the elite 14 women field by a whopping 2.100 points. With the formality of making the US team out of the way Biles has set her sights on the games in Rio where she is expected to challenge for five gold medals. (Reuters)

Gymnast Biles wins US Olympic trials, targets Rio gold

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US Olympic chiefs axe media summit over virus fears

Gymnast Biles wins US Olympic trials, targets Rio gold