The inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League has today been postponed ©BAL

The inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) has today been postponed due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

The season had been due to begin on March 13 in Dakar, the capital of Senegal where two people have tested positive for coronavirus so far.

"Following the recommendation of the Senegalese Government regarding the escalating health concerns related to the coronavirus, the BAL’s inaugural season will be postponed," BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall said.

"I am disappointed we are not able to tip-off this historic league as scheduled but look forward to the highly-anticipated launch of the BAL at a later date."

The season had been due to begin on March 13 in Dakar, the capital of Senegal where two people have tested positive for coronavirus so far ©Getty Images
The season had been due to begin on March 13 in Dakar, the capital of Senegal where two people have tested positive for coronavirus so far ©Getty Images

The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), is a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa.

It builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA has organised in Africa and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.

There have now been more than 94,000 cases of coronavirus since the outbreak originated in Chinese city Wuhan, and numerous sporting events have either been postponed or cancelled.

More than 3,200 people have died and more than 80 countries and territories are affected, but the overwhelming majority of cases are in China.