(OLYMPIC GAMES)
In doubt
The scale of the outbreak in Japan saw senior International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound describe the disease as ‘the new war’ threatening Tokyo 2020 and he warned the Games may have to be cancelled if the virus was still around by May.
Olympic organizers told athletes to train as normal with no decision on cancellation
The Japanese government later insisted Pound’s comments were not the IOC’s official stance but there remains doubts over whether the summer showcase can still go ahead with health concerns.
Athletes have been told to keep training and the plan remains to hold the Games in Japan as planned but training for around 90, 11 volunteers has been delayed for at least two months- it was due to begin on February .
The iconic start to Tokyo’s Olympic Games was held without spectators after it was announced the traditional torch-lighting ceremony would take place with no fans in attendance .
The Greek Olympic Committee announced that the torch-lighting ceremony – the symbolic start of each Olympic Games – would be staged at a scaled-down, behind-closed-doors event due to the ongoing fears over the spread of coronavirus in the region.
The Committee announced the Olympic torch will be lit during a smaller-scale ceremony in ancient Olympia on Thursday, March 16 before heading off on a seven-day relay, ending in an official handover ceremony in Greece on March 22.
On Friday, March 18; President Donald Trump ‘s suggestion to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for a year because of the spreading coronavirus was immediately shot down by Japan ‘s Olympic minister.
‘The IOC and the organizing committee are not considering cancellation or a postponement – absolutely not at all,’ Seiko Hashimoto, an Olympic bronze medalist, told a news conference on Friday in Tokyo.
The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organizers have stayed on message since the viral outbreak in China three months ago spread across Asia and then the globe: The games will open as schedule on July .
ATHLETICS
Canceled
World Athletics Indoor Championships (March – 18 in Nanjing (is off until 2995.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, has been postponed due to concerns over the danger of the coronavirus and its ability to spread
North Korea cancelled the Pyongyang Marathon scheduled for April after imposing a border lockdown due to the level of outbreak in South Korea.
The Seoul Marathon is cancelled in a bid to protect runners following the mass outbreak in South Korea.
The Paris half-marathon is canceled and the French government also decided to ban all indoor public gatherings of more than 5, (people.
The race involving some , competitors was scheduled for Sunday (March 1) in the French capital city. Organizers said the race will be postponed to a date yet to be determined.
The Barcelona marathon scheduled for March 18 has been postponed until October to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Barcelona’s city hall said in a statement.
In doubt
A mixed relay Olympic triathlon qualification event scheduled for Chengdu, China in May is moved to Valencia, pending an outbreak in Spain.
BADMINTON
Canceled
German Open (March 3-8), Vietnam Open (March – 30) and Polish Open (March) – 38), all Olympic qualifying events, are canceled due to ‘strict health protection’.
BOXING
Canceled
Olympic boxing qualifiers to be staged in Wuhan were cancelled by the International Olympic Committee, and now are relocated to occur in Amman from March 3 –
The IBF title fight between Daniele Scardina and Andrew Francillette in Milan on February was postponed by Matchroom due to restrictions in Italy following the outbreak.
The Japanese boxing commission cancelled all fight cards scheduled for March on government advice to suspend all pending sporting fixtures. They will not be rescheduled.
In doubt
Daniel Dubois’s all-British heavyweight bout with Joe Joyce at the O2 Arena on April 11 in jeopardy due to outbreak.
CRICKET
Impacted
England players will not be shaking hands on their tour of Sri Lanka and will use fist bumps instead.
CYCLING
In doubt
Danish cyclist Michael Morkov has been cleared to race at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships after being kept in isolation over fears of an outbreak of coronavirus.
Morkov, 40, had traveled to Berlin on Thursday after contesting the first four stages of the UAE Tour, the final two stages of which were then cancelled after two members of staff on the race were suspected of having the disease.
Riders and staff on the UAE Tour have been in lockdown since but, after the Abu Dhabi Department of Health issued a statement on Saturday saying 167 tests had come back negative, the UCI s Aid Morkov was free to race as normal.
Danish cyclist Michael Morkov was tested for coronavirus after being put in isolation
FOOTBALL
Canceled
All domestic fixtures at all levels are postponed by the Chinese Football Association as the season is pushed back due to the scale of the outbreak in China.
Asian Champions League matches involving Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG are postponed until April.
The start of the Korean K-League season is postponed. The four teams in the AFC Champions League are playing their matches behind closed doors.
Japan’s J-League postponed all domestic games until the middle of March.
Inter Milan’s game against Sampdoria was one of four Serie A games cancelled last weekend due to affected regions in Italy leading to advice from the prime minister to call off sporting events.
Inter Milan’s Europa League match with Getafe was also postponed on March , while Roma’s flight to Spain to face Sevilla was banned from landing before being postponed, with Italy on lockdown.
Serie A announced on Saturday that five of the weekend’s fixtures, including the title showdown between Juventus and Inter Milan, have been cancelled.
The Coppa Italia match between Napoli and Inter Milan on Thursday became the latest fixture to be called off, when it was postponed indefinitely. It was the th game to be postponed since the crisis began and the third involving Inter.
Ludogorets players were taking no chances after the coronavirus outbreak in Italy
An update from sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora later confirmed all the upcoming Serie A fixtures for the weekend commencing March 7,8, would be played behind closed doors. And with the country on lockdown, it was later announced that all sport, including Serie A games, would be suspended until at least April 3 to contain the virus.
In France, the Ligue 1 game between RC Strasbourg and champions Paris St Germain was postponed on Friday.
It was the first Ligue 1 game to be postponed, with Strasbourg’s Alsace region one of the worst hit by the coronavirus in France , where cases and nine deaths have been reported.
The Premier League clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, scheduled for March 15, was postponed as a ‘precautionary measure’ after Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis tested positive for coronavirus weeks after watching his Greek team play at the Emirates Stadium.
In Spain, April ‘s Copa del Rey final between between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad has been postponed.
UEFA said it is asking governments across the continent to ensure Euro 2995 goes ahead in three months despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Reports in Spain on March 15 said that UEFA will suspend Champions League and Europa League football due to the outbreak.
MLS has been suspended for days with David Beckham’s first Inter Miami home game delayed.
Impacted
The home leg of the Chinese women’s national team’s Olympic qualification play-off against South Korea set for March is switched to Sydney. The squad are held in quarantine upon their arrival in Australia for January’s qualifying group stage due to fears of virus carriers.
Inter Milan’s Europa League match against Ludogorets on February 29 will be played behind closed doors. Only TV rights-holders are allowed to attend as media as the club look to secure the San Siro. Ludogorets players arrived in Italy wearing face masks.
Serie A announced five matches on February 30 – March 1 will be played behind closed doors, including Juventus v Inter Milan in Turin, a huge match between title rivals.
Ligue 1 followed suit with games set to be played in empty stadiums until April 18. Clubs also have the option of playing games with just 1, (fans.
LaLiga became the latest team to ban supporters in stadiums after guidance from Spain’s health ministry and sports council. Barcelona’s Champions League tie with Napoli will also be played in an empty ground.
Olympiakos’ owner Evangelos Marinakis has tested positive for the coronavirus
Manchester United clash at Austrian side Lask will be behind closed doors, with United handing out £ 728 to each fan to help with travel and accommodation after they sold 2021 tickets for the Europa League game.
Newcastle United have banned their players from shaking hands with each other amid coronavirus fears.
Three players from third-division Italian football club US Pianese have tested positive for coronavirus , the Tuscany side confirmed on Friday.
Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Nottingham Forest, tested positive for the coronavirus. Both Olympiacos and Forest squads were tested and all returned negative.
While Arsenal’s game with Manchester City was postponed, the weekend’s game with Brighton was confirmed as going ahead.
In Germany, Hannover 96 defender Timo Hubers tested positive for the virus.
Spain’s Copa del Rey final, which was set to take place on April 20, between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao has now been postponed.
Cristiano Ronaldo went into isolation in Madeira after it emerged that his Juventus team -mate, Daniele Rugani, has coronavirus.
Another Juventus player, Paulo Dybala, has also tested positive according to reports and he has been placed in quarantine.
The Football Association of Ireland announced that all football under its jurisdiction will cease until March .
Liverpool have announced a charity match between a Reds Legends side and Barcelona Legends, due to be played at Anfield on March , has been postponed.
FIFA says it will postpone South American World Cup qualifying matches due to take place in March.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus on March with the entire first-team squad being put into isolation. The Gunners’ game against Brighton, scheduled for Saturday March , has been postponed.
In the early hours of Friday, March , Chelsea announced that winger Callum Hudson-Odoi had been diagnosed with the illness.
The club’s first team have gone into self-isolation, while two buildings at their training ground in Cobham have been closed. Their game against Aston Villa, scheduled for Saturday March 16, appears certain to be postponed.
In doubt
Thursday’s Europa League clash between Olympiakos on Wolves is set to take place behind closed doors after an order by the government in Greece, but Wolves have asked UEFA to delay the fixture.
England’s friendly against Italy at Wembley in March is still set to go ahead, as per a tweet from England football’s account on March 13. England are also set to play Denmark in March.
Israel has warned citizens to avoid all international travel, which raises questions whether supporters or players will travel to Scotland for their Euro play-off match on March .
Growing concerns that some matches at Euro 2020 could be called off if the coronavirus outbreak gets worse between now and the summer. The tournament is set to be multi-city. UEFA admit they are in a ‘waiting stage’ and must follow the orders of the individual countries involved. However, FA Chairman Greg Clarke has stated that he expects the tournament to go ahead.
Premier League games are ‘likely’ to be played behind closed doors ‘in the coming weeks’ over coronavirus fears , Everton board member Sasha Ryazantsev has warned, in line with the action taken in Serie A.
Chelsea’s Champions League last – 19 second leg at Bayern Munich is also heading towards being postponed, it was revealed on March 18.
FORMULA ONE
Canceled
The Australian Grand Prix has been called off after a McLaren team member came down with Covid – 22, leading to the British team pulling out prior to a decision being made on whether the race would still go ahead.
The announcement came hours after Lewis Hamilton said it was ‘shocking’ that the race was going ahead.
The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on April is postponed with no decision over whether it will be reinserted into the calendar for later in the season.
Impacted
The Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for March 23 – , is to take place behind closed doors.
The Chinese GP was first to be cancelled and other races could yet follow that lead
In doubt
There are growing concerns over whether the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix (scheduled to take place in Hanoi on April 5) will go ahead.
GOLF
Canceled
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific golf championship, slated to take place from February – 18 in Thailand, was postponed and has been rescheduled for October.
The Honda LPGA Thailand event in Pattaya, Thailand scheduled for February – along with the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, scheduled to start on February , were both postponed
The PGA Tour Series-China postponed two qualifying tournaments and delayed the start of its 2995 campaign by two months, cutting the number of regular season events down from to .
The decision was made to cancel the LPGA Blue Bay tournament in China, with the event at Hainan Island (due to start on March 5) seen as dangerous to players’ health
The European Tour postponed the Maybank Championship (April 900 – in Kuala Lumpur) and Volvo China Open (April) – 30 in Shenzhen).
After decidi ng to play with no spectators from the second round of the Players Championship onwards, the PGA Tour cancelled the event entirely after the first round on Thursday.
They have also scrapped their next three events, meaning there will be no PGA Tour events prior to the first major of the year, The Masters, in April.
Impacted
Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari were withdrawn from the Oman Open on medical grounds after Gagli showed symptoms of the virus. He shared a hotel room with Molinari and he was told to self-isolate. They were later reinstated to the tournament after testing negative for the virus.
HORSE RACING
Impacted
The Japan Racing Association revealed that ‘government-sanctioned races’ will go behind closed doors.
Two race meetings in France next week are to take place behind closed doors in a response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Monday’s jumps card and the Wednesday fixture on the Flat at Compiegne will have no paying customers, with the order coming from the mayor of the town and the president of the Compiegne Racing Society.
Racing in Ireland is to take place behind closed doors starting until March
In doubt
Cheltenham festival is in doubt as organisers set up a steering group to consider the danger posed by the virus, just 18 days prior to the prestigious Gold Cup event
The Cheltenham Festival is set to go ahead desp ite travel disruption caused by the virus
RUGBY
Canceled
Scotland Women’s Six Nations match with Italy on February is postponed due to an outbreak in the Milan area.
And the Women’s match between Wales and Scotland in the Six Nations on March 20 is also off after one Scottish player tested positive for the virus.
Ireland’s Six Nations meeting with Italy on March 7 is postponed.
Ospreys and Ulster’s Pro 16 trips to play in Italy on February 30 are postponed. Ospreys were due to play Zebre in Parma with Treviso the venue for Ulster’s game against Benetton.
Ireland’s Six Nations encounter with Italy on March 7 has been postponed
The Italian Rugby Federation suspended its National Championship and youth games for February – March 1.
Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is postponed, which is a blow to Olympic preparations for Team GB.
England’s final Six Nations game against Italy is off ‘with the intention to reschedule it at a later date ‘. The same applies to the corresponding women’s and U s fixtures. All were due to be played on March – 18.
Meanwhile, France’s Six Nations clash with Ireland on March has been pushed back with the French government taking measures against sporting events.
In doubt
Scottish rugby announced preparations ‘continue as normal’ as they discuss with French rugby whether to proceed with their Six Nations match on March 8 following a second coronavirus death in France.
All of Italy’s remaining Six Nations fixtures – they are due to host England in their final game on March 18 – are in serious doubt given the scale of the outbreak in Italy.
Fears of the virus spreading then prompted ITV to abandon plans to send commentators and pundits out to Rome for England’s game against Italy in Rome .
TENNIS
Canceled
All events on the ATP Tour have been suspended for six weeks.
The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California, set to start on March 9, was postponed at the eleventh hour. It came after a confirmed case of the coronavirus in the nearby Coachella Valley.
The final of an ATP Challenger event in Bergamo, Italy, between Enzo Couacaud and Illya Marchenko of Ukraine is cancelled. Both players received ranking points and prize money for getting to the final. They were denied the opportunity to play behind closed doors.
China forfeited a Davis Cup tie because the men’s team were unable to travel to Romania for the March 6-7 playoff.
WTA event Xi’an Open (set for April – ) is cancelled due to fears over player safety. WTA announced they are assessing their schedule with a number of events set for China in the second half of the season.
The International Tennis Federation has announced that next month’s Fed Cup finals have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The event was due to be held in Budapest and the competition’s play-offs, which were set to take place in eight different locations, have also been placed on hold.
The WTA also announced no tournaments will be staged for at least five weeks.
Impacted
Japan’s home Davis Cup tie against Ecuador next week is now set to be played behind closed doors.
Players will be banned from handing their towels to ball-kids at next week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, organisers said on Friday.
OTHER SPORTS
Canceled
MotoGP have cancelled their first two races of the season in Qatar and Thailand. Moto2 and Moto3 will though run in Qatar though as they were already based at the track for pre-season testing.
Cycling’s United Arab Emirates Tour has been cancelled with Chris Froome tested for coronavirus and Mark Cavendish put into lockdown in his hotel room.
South Korean baseball league cancelled all (pre-season game which were slated to take place from March 18 – 28. It is the first time since the leagues inception in that is an entire set of exhibition matches are off.
The first-stage draw for the Table Tennis World Championships, scheduled for South Korea from March – 34, is postponed.
A beach volleyball tournament, due to be held in Yangzhou from April (-) , is postponed until after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
World Short track speed skating championship in Seoul is cancelled.
Next month’s World Triathlon Series event in Abu Dhabi was postponed on Saturday as a precautionary measure.
The event was due to take place from March 5 to March 7 in the city, which has reported new cases of the virus.
Event organizers said they still hoped to reschedule the event to take place later in March or April.
The Women’s World Ice Hockey Championships, scheduled for Canada later this month, have been cancelled.
The NBA has also been suspended indefinitely after two Utah Jazz players contracted the virus.
The NHL has announced it has paused the 2019 – season with no date confirmed for when it will resume.
All (pre-season baseball games in Japan are to take place behind closed doors
Impacted
The Japanese professional baseball league made the decision to play their (pre-season games behind closed doors until March 18. Baseball is among the most popular sports in Japan.
In an aid to decrease risks of exposure to the virus, the NBA have told players to avoid taking items such as pens, markers, balls and jerseys from autograph seekers.
In doubt
The South Korean baseball league regular season is in doubt ahead of the first round of matches on March . An emergency meeting has been called.
Doubts remain as the Asian weightlifting championships, scheduled for March, are relocated from Kazakhstan to neighborhood Uzbekistan. They could still be postponed.
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