The cancellation of sports events
By Staff Writer, écoute moi
A lot of sporting events have been cancelled, postponed, moved or shifted due to coronavirus threatens. Global cases are estimated to have hit 85,000 as the geographical footprint of the virus widens, while the death toll is approaching 3,000. A range of sports have had to take action to prevent the spread of the virus, with postponements hitting the Guinness Six Nations, Formula One and Serie A among others.
With spectacles such as Euro 2020, the Olympics and golf’s majors on the horizon, we take a sport-by-sport look at the impact of coronavirus.
The cancellation of sports events
Olympics and Paralympics
Tokyo 2020 officials are sounding defiant but options are being discussed. The events start on 24 July and 25 August respectively; IOC member Dick Pound says a final decision could be made as late as the end of May, with cancellation, rather than postponement or relocation, the most likely outcome. The athletics world indoor championships, scheduled to take place in China next month, are already off.
Six Nations
Fears are growing that the tournament may not finish for the first time in almost 50 years. Ireland’s men’s and women’s matches against Italy in Dublin are off, and England’s planned trip to Rome on 14 March is likely to go the same way. Officials meet in Paris on Monday to discuss the situation but there are few windows for rescheduling. The foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001 led to one match being postponed until September and two moved to October. The last time the tournament could not be completed was in 1972 because of the Troubles in Ireland. The Singapore and Hong Kong legs of the World Rugby Sevens have been put back to October.
Euro 2020
The Europe-wide, travel-heavy Uefa showpiece is due to take place at 12 venues, starting in Rome on 12 June. The semi-finals and final will be at Wembley. Uefa say the situation is “under constant scrutiny … we are monitoring it country by country, and football will follow orders of the individual countries”. England’s warm-up against Italy is scheduled for Wembley on 27 March. The FA is following developments.
The cancellation of sports events
Premier League and domestic football
Widespread disruption already, with multiple Serie A games called off or played behind closed doors. The entire Swiss league programme this weekend has been called off, while Japan’s J-League, South Korea’s K-League and China’s Super League are on hold. In England, clubs have told players not to shake hands – West Ham’s David Moyes says: “It’s fist bumps only” – while there is speculation that the season could be curtailed on government advice. In those circumstances, there would be no guarantee Liverpool would be named Premier League champions – and the bottom three could escape relegation.
Formula One
Following the postponement of the Chinese Grand Prix, the focus is now on forthcoming races in Australia, Bahrain and Vietnam. Ferrari have restricted access to their factory in Maranello, 87 miles from the Italian outbreak in Codogno.
Racing
Cheltenham starts on 10 March, the Grand National meeting starts on 2 April. Cheltenham organisers say it is, for now, still “full steam ahead”.
The cancellation of sports events
Cricket
The ECB insists England’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in March will happen. “It is not considered a high-risk country for further virus spread.”
Among other events
Golf Multiple tournaments have been cancelled or moved.
Cycling Following the UAE Tour’s cancellation, the Giro d’Italia in May is among other events now in doubt.