DR Congo Relocates World Cup Training Camp to Belgium Due to Ebola Outbreak
DR Congo has relocated its World Cup training camp to Belgium following an Ebola outbreak that has claimed the lives of over 130 individuals.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has decided to cancel its pre-World Cup training camp in Kinshasa due to the Ebola outbreak occurring in the eastern region of the country. The team will now prepare in Belgium in anticipation of the tournament.
The decision comes in response to increasing worries regarding the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has labeled a public health emergency of international concern. Health officials report that over 130 individuals are thought to have lost their lives. The United States has implemented travel restrictions related to the outbreak as it gets ready to host the World Cup in collaboration with Canada and Mexico.
Team spokesperson Jerry Kalemo said DR Congo’s warm-up matches in Europe would still go ahead as planned. The team is set to compete against Denmark in Belgium, followed by a match with Chile in Spain, as they prepare for their first World Cup appearance since 1974.
A spokesperson for the team informed Reuters that the Kinshasa camp was cancelled due to the new US travel regulations. The restrictions prevent non-Americans from entering the country if they have recently traveled to DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan.
Most of DR Congo’s players are based in Europe, including head coach Sébastien Desabre, which suggests that the squad is unlikely to be directly impacted by the restrictions following the camp relocation.
The original training camp in Kinshasa was anticipated to draw supporters and high-ranking government officials, including President Felix Tshisekedi.
Kinshasa is distant from the outbreak zone located in Ituri province in the eastern part of the country, and there have been no reported Ebola cases in the capital to date.
The WHO reported that 139 individuals are thought to have died from approximately 600 suspected cases. However, Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba subsequently stated that authorities had documented 159 fatalities.
Officials report that the outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant of the virus for which there is presently no approved vaccine. The WHO indicates that it may take several months before one is prepared.
