The Taoyuan Leopards will play their two weekend games in Taipei instead of on their home court, due to an issue related to a rise in domestic COVID-19 cases, as the T1 LEAGUE’s regular basketball season nears its end.
The Leopards, which usually play their home games at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) gymnasium, said Wednesday that despite the change in venue to the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, its fans will receive a 50 percent discount on tickets, once they show a valid ID that lists Taoyuan as their place of residence.
Fans who had already bought tickets can change them at the ticket booths at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium on the day of the game, while those who prefer a refund can apply before 4 p.m. on April 25, the Leopards said.
The team’s home games against the TaiwanBeer HeroBears and the New Taipei CTBC DEA were moved to Taipei because CYCU refused to allow the use of its gymnasium for the two weekend games, citing worry over the current surge in domestic COVID-19 cases.
League imposes COVID prevention rules
Meanwhile, the T1 LEAGUE said Wednesday that with immediate effect, the staff and players in its clubs are barred from going to nightclubs, karaoke clubs, cinemas, department stores and other entertainment venues, and they should also avoid large social gatherings, given the ongoing rapid increase in domestic COVID-19 cases.
On the day of the games, all club staff, excluding coaches and referees, must show proof of either two COVID-19 vaccine shots or a negative rapid test taken 24 hours before their entry to the venue, and they must wear a mask at all times once inside, the T1 LEAGUE said.
Coaches, players, and referees who have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and have proof of a negative rapid test taken at 24 hours before are allowed to remove their masks during the game, the league said.
The regulations were introduced following an announcement of COVID-19 prevention restrictions by Taiwan’s other pro basketball league, the P. LEAGUE+, which said on April 15 that all pre-game and post-game interaction between fans and players, including autographs and photos, had been suspended.
T1 LEAGUE games
Apart from the Leopard’s games, the Tainan TSG GhostHawks will host the Kaohsiung Aquas on Saturday and will face off against the Taichung Wagor Suns at Chia Nan University’s Shao Tsung Gymnasium in Tainan, as the T1 LEAGUE winds down its regular season.
In the other professional league, the Formosa Taishin Dreamers will play home games against the Taipei Fubon Braves on Saturday and the Taoyuan Pilots on Sunday at Intercontinental Basketball Stadium, while the New Taipei Kings will host the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers on Saturday and the Kaohsiung Steelers on Sunday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel