Sports

Corona Virus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Sports Events Cancelled and Postponed

Corona Virus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Sports Events Cancelled and Postponed

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic, pointing to the over 118,000 cases of the corona virus illness in over 110 countries and territories around the world and the sustained risk of further global spread. Corona Virus outbreak lead to cancellation of many sports events and many are postponed to avoid public gathering. Here are some of major events that cancelled, Postponed and called off.

Cricket

  • England’s upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka is postponed with the touring players returning home.
  • Australia have pulled out of their tour of New Zealand with immediate effect.
  • The two remaining India-South Africa ODIs in Lucknow and Kolkata were on Friday called of. Cricket South Africa will visit India at a later date to play three One-day Internationals.
  • The Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) decided to suspend the tournament till April 15 owing to the breakout of corona virus pandemic. The 13th edition of the T20 tournament was originally scheduled to begin from March 29 with the opening contest to be played between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
  • Surrey have cancelled their pre-season training camp at the ICC Academy in Dubai amid concern over the safety of their players.
  • Lancashire’s pre-season tour to South Africa and Dubai (March 17-April 1) – cancelled
  • Worcestershire’s pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi (March 18-29) – cancelled
  • Gloucestershire pre-season tour to Spain (March 18-27) – cancelled
  • Warwickshire pre-season tour to Spain (March 10-21) – cancelled
  • The final two one-day internationals between India and South Africa will be played behind closed doors.
  • The Pakistan Cricket Board has rescheduled the remaining matches of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 by replacing the playoffs with semi-finals on 17 March and the final on 18 March. The decision means the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 will be reduced by four days and there will now be 33 matches as opposed to 34.
  • Nepal’s T20 franchise cricket league, Everest Premier League 2020 season postponed.
  • Road Safety T20 World Series featuring veteran players likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, also postponed to a later date.
  • The two T20Is featuring Asia XI and World XI teams became the first cricket tournament to be postponed due to dangers of COVID-19.
  • ACA T20 Africa Cup Kenya 2020 (March 20-28) – postponed indefinitely.
  • Malta v Czech Republic T20 series (March 14-15) – postponed
  • ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League A (March 16-26) – postponed
  • European Cricket Series events, Spain (March 16-20, 23-27) – postponed
  • Thailand women’s quadrangular ODI series with Ireland, Netherlands and Zimbabwe (April 3-11) – cancelled
  • Denmark’s tour of Perth – cancelled
  • New South Wales Metro v Victoria 2nd XI – cancelled
  • Australia Women tour to South Africa (March 22-April 4) – postponed
  • Northants v Nottinghamshire, pre-season friendly – cancelled
  • Japan national trials (March 14, 15, 22) – postponed
  • Cricket World Cup League 2 (April 1-8) – postponed
  • All Belgium Cricket Federation activities – postponed
  • Champion County match – cancelled
  • Glamorgan pre-season tour to Spain (March 19-26) – cancelled
  • World Cup League Two (April 1-8) – postponed
  • Namibia v Netherlands ODIs & T20Is (March 25-April 1) – postponed
  • Yorkshire pre-season tour to India – cut short
  • Essex pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi – cut short
  • Hampshire pre-season tour to Spain – cut short
  • Kent pre-season tour to South Africa – cut short

ICC Medical Advisory Committee’s advisory:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol if soap and water are not available
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
  • Avoid close contact with sick people
  • Avoid travel if you are sick
  • If you have a cough or fever, then seek medical review
  • Stay home when you are sick
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Football

  • The Premier League has been suspended until April 4 and the EFL until April 3.
  • All Scottish football has been suspended and the Irish Football Association has suspended the current season in Northern Ireland until April 4.
  • The Football Association of Ireland announced all football activity under its jurisdiction has been suspended until March 29.
  • the Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship have also been postponed.
  • Wales’ international matches with Austria and the United States are also both called off.
  • Champions League and Europa League fixtures scheduled for next week are postponed, as well as the quarter-final draws for both competitions.
  • UEFA has called an emergency meeting next Tuesday to discuss whether Euro 2020 can go ahead as scheduled.
  • Major League Soccer announced the suspension of matches for 30 days with immediate effect.
  • LaLiga announced it has suspended ‘at least the next two rounds of matches’ as a result of the quarantine in place at Real.
  • All domestic sporting action in Italy – including Serie A matches – has been suspended until April 3.
  • Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 are suspended until further notice.
  • All matches in the German Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 have been suspended until April.
  • The South American (CONMEBOL) World Cup qualifiers scheduled for March 23-31 have been postponed to a later date.
  • The international friendly between Germany and Italy on March 31 has been postponed.

Rugby Union

  • Sunday’s Premiership Rugby Cup final between Sale and Harlequins at AJ Bell Stadium has been postponed.
  • The Wales v Scotland game in the final round of the Guinness Six Nations has been postponed, following the cancellation of the France v Ireland and Italy v England games.
  • The PRO 14 has been suspended indefinitely.

Golf

  • The US Masters, the first men’s golfing major of the year, has been postponed. The blue riband event at Augusta National was due to take place from April 9-12.
  • The Players Championship has also been cancelled along with all other PGA Tour events for the next three weeks.
  • Five European Tour tournaments have been postponed. Hero Indian Open and August’s Czech Masters have joined this week’s Kenya Open and April’s Maybank Championship and China Open in being called off.
  • The Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International has been postponed with a view to it being rescheduled later in the year.

Formula One

  • The season-opening Australian Grand Prix has been called off along with the races in Bahrain and Vietnam, with the start of the season set to be pushed back to June

Formula E

  • Formula E has temporarily suspended the season
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