China women's national football team arrived in Brisbane for a 2020 Tokyo Olympics Qualifying tournament that begins in Sydney on Monday. But the whole team have been quarantined in their hotel by local authorities over concerns about the possible spread of the novel coronavirus.

Vice president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) Sun Wen said all players and staff members were in good health and practicing indoors, and will work closely with authorities to fulfill all quarantine requirements.

"We need to be isolated until February 5. Both the CFA and the FFA had the intention to postpone the matches. The tournament will definitely be delayed for several days, but the process takes time," Sun told Xinhua News Agency.

"We appreciate the support from the FFA and the Queensland authorities. All the players and staff members are in good health, and we can only stay and eat in a separated floor in the hotel."

In a separate interview, Sun told CGTN Sports Scene: "Obviously there are difficulties, both physical and mental, but our players are in good spirits. We organized a video analysis course in the hotel in the morning, and some of the players did practice in their rooms."  

"For many of our girls this is their first time to play for an Olympic berth, and they would like to take on the challenge and to inspire all of the Chinese people who are fighting against the coronavirus at home with a solid performance on the field," she added.

The team left Wuhan on January 22 before the city was locked down, and moved on to Suzhou for pre-match training. It then flew directly to Brisbane after the Asian Football Confederation decided to change the venue for a second time. 

Prior to traveling to Australia, all team members passed a coronavirus screening. After arriving in Brisbane, the team strictly followed the rules and regulations of Australian and Queensland health authorities and have been placed in isolation in the hotel until now.