The USFHK said it was still waiting for confirmation from athletes at a recent meeting with various coaches.

Kenny Chow Kwun-wah, chairman of the USFHK, said the deadline was chosen as aeroplane tickets had to be confirmed on Friday (June 19).

Hong Kong are due to be represented by a squad of more than 100 at the Summer Universiade, scheduled to take place from July 3 to 14.

"We have sent out an undertaking to the coaches of each sport and they have to reply to us in black and white before Thursday," Chow told the South China Morning Post.

"We won't force them and whether they would go or not is all up to the athletes to make their own decision.

"We understand the organisers have no plan at this stage to call off the Games, as they have invested a lot on venue construction, game organisation and infrastructure."

Four new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed today, bringing the total number to 154 with 19 deaths in what has become the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia.

The South Korean Government's red travel alert remains in force, advising Hong Kong citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the country.

Although fencers Au Sin-ying and Karen Chang Ngai-hing, and swimmer Stephanie Au Hoi-shun are said to want to attend, rower Chiu Hin-chun, Hong Kong’s only representative in the sport, has already decided he will not be travelling to Gwangju.

"The athlete and family members had expressed serious concerns about the MERS situation in Korea,” rowing head coach Chris Perry, told the South China Morning Post.

"As he is part of our senior team and we are due to fly to Korea from our training camp in Europe and then fly straight back for the last World Cup and World Championships, we also have to consider the risk of exposure to the rest of our Olympic squad.

“So, we decided to withdraw."

Taiwan is also said to be contemplating whether or not to attend the Summer Universiade with a decision expected to be made by the end of this month at the latest.

The country’s Sports Administration has claimed Taiwan’s participation in the event will depend on the travel warning issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for South Korea.

Meanwhile, it has also been suggested that North Korea could pull out, threatening South Korea’s efforts to mend ties with them.  

North Korea was not on the list of 115 countries signed up for the event by the registration deadline on June 3, according to Gwangju 2015,

Officials have said it is still willing to accept North Korea's registration, however, citing the fact that the country submitted an application in March to take part.


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June 2015: FISU play down concerns over MERS outbreak in South Korea ahead of Gwangju 2015 Summer Universiade