Uefa made the decision to postpone Euro 2020 until 2021 due to the coronavirus, with the coronavirus still impacting the sport for the foreseeable future. It should allow for the Premier League and Europe’s other elite football leagues to finish, not to mention the Champions League and Europa League – though a contingency for those tournaments is yet to be finalised.
The French Open in tennis and the PGA Championship in golf are just two more major events postponed or cancelled due to Covid-19, while the Olympics in Tokyo this year continues to resist pressure to postpone the Games.
Fifa now plan to meet in an effort to help ease the impact of coronavirus on the football calendar, while the Premier League have joined Uefa in their efforts to finish their respective competitions by 30 June. While multiple Brooklyn Nets players have now contracted the virus, including NBA superstar Kevin Durant - here’s how we brought you the latest updates from around the world on Wednesday as coronavirus continued to hit sport hard.
US Open promises consultation after French Open postponed
U.S. Open organisers have responded to the shock decision by their counterparts at the French Open to move the tennis tournament to September with a statement obliquely criticising unilateral changes to the Grand Slam calendar.
In a move that stunned the tennis world, French Open organisers on Tuesday postponed the claycourt tournament at Roland Garros from May until Sept. 20-Oct. 4 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The switch has placed the tournament a week after the final of the U.S. Open and results in clashes with ATP tournaments in Metz, St. Petersburg, Chengdu, Sofia and Zhuhai as well as WTA events in Guangzhou, Seoul, Tokyo and Wuhan.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said currently there were no plans to alter the schedule for the Aug. 25-Sept. 13 U.S. Open and stressed any potential changes would be made only after consultation with other stakeholders.
"At a time when the world is coming together, we recognize that such a decision should not be made unilaterally," the statement read.
"Therefore the USTA would only do so in full consultation with the other Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA and ATP, the ITF and our partners, including the Laver Cup."
Japan cancels All-Around Gymnastics World Cup due to coronavirus
Fans face anxious wait over Olympics ticket refunds
Holders of coveted tickets for the Tokyo Olympics are anxiously awaiting word on whether the Games will go ahead as planned, with a media report that briefs might not be refundable in case of a cancellation stirring fears they may be left out of pocket.
Tickets have been snapped up in Japan, with over three million sold during the first domestic lottery last May. Hot demand for later sales also left many potential buyers disappointed.
Organisers have repeatedly said the July 24 to Aug. 9 Games will go ahead as scheduled but with the rapid spread of the coronavirus bringing the sports world to a virtual standstill fears are growing the Olympics may be cancelled or postponed.
On Wednesday, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that tickets might not be refundable if the Olympics were to be cancelled, citing Olympic organisers and contractual details connected to the tickets.
Should holding the Olympics be prevented due to a number of "force majeure" incidents ranging from disasters to war and "states of emergency connected to public health," organisers were not to be held responsible, the Asahi added.
The report prompted a flood of comments on social media, making it one of the top trending Twitter topics in Japan.
"What - no refunds if it's cancelled? Are you kidding me?" wrote commenter may_lulu.
Another lamented: "I'll just bid goodbye to that 100,000 yen ($933.97)."
Tokyo 2020 organisers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
When asked about the issue of refunds on March 11 they said, "Tokyo 2020 has never discussed cancelling or postponing the Games. Preparations for the Games are continuing as planned."
Kevin Durant tests positive for coronavirus - 'Everybody be careful'
NBA star Kevin Durant has revealed he has tested positive for coronavirus.
The 31-year-old forward revealed he is one of four players with the Brooklyn Nets to have tested positive. A
At least seven players with the National Basketball Association (NBA) are known to have been infected, though officials have not identified who they are.
Durant said: “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this.”
Lampard provides Hudson-Odoi update
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who became the first Premier League player to test positive for the coronavirus, is making "great progress" in his recovery, manager Frank Lampard said.
The 19-year-old's positive test last week had prompted the London club to partially close their Cobham training centre, with the first-team squad and coaching staff asked to self-isolate as a precaution.
"I'm happy to say that in Callum's case, he has made great progress and almost feels his usual self, which is obviously the news we all want to hear," Lampard told the club's website.
"I'm aware that not everyone can or will recover from this virus, so I urge the football and sporting community to continue to act responsibly and look out for the health of others."
Dissent grows over Olympics resisting postponement
The International Olympic Committee is facing its strongest headwinds in decades as it prepares to brief national committees on Wednesday on the state of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics amid the coronavirus pandemic, with voices of dissent growing louder.
The IOC has remained committed to staging the Tokyo Games as planned from July 24-Aug. 9, saying on Tuesday after a meeting with international sports federations that measures against the virus were delivering results.
The coronavirus has so far killed more than 7,500 people and infected about 200,000, with the epicentre now in Europe.
The IOC has refused to publicly consider cancellation or postponement as possible options, even as other major events including soccer's Euro 2020 and Copa America and the French Open tennis grand slam announced postponements on Tuesday.
The virus has also wreaked havoc with Olympic qualification tournaments with athletes struggling to train, travel or compete and many pre-Games qualifiers cancelled or postponed.
IOC member Hayley Wickenheiser called the decision to proceed with the Games "insensitive and irresponsible" in the most vocal attack on the Olympic body since President Thomas Bach took over in 2013.
Wickenheiser, who competed in five Winter Games in ice hockey and at the 2000 Summer Olympics in softball, said continuing with the Games as planned ignored the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
"This crisis is bigger than even the Olympics," Wickenheiser said in a statement on Twitter. "Athletes can't train. Attendees can't travel plan. Sponsors and marketers can't market with a degree of sensitivity."
"I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity."
She is not alone.
Several athletes, including reigning Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi, said the IOC decision was putting athletes' health at risk, urging them to train as normal when entire countries have shut down to contain the virus spread.
"There is no postponement, no cancellation. But it (the IOC) is putting us at risk," Stefanidi said in an exclusive interview to Reuters.
"We all want Tokyo to happen but what is the Plan B if it does not happen?
"Knowing about a possible option has a major effect on my training because I may be taking risks now that I would not take if I knew there was also the possibility of a Plan B."
Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi is making “great progress” in his recovery from coronavirus, Blues boss manager Frank Lampard has confirmed.
The 19-year-old became the first Premier League player to test positive for Covid-19 with the pandemic halting football around the world.
The Blues responded to the news by partially closing their Cobham training centre, with first-team players and coaching staff self-isolating as a precaution.
“I’m happy to say that in Callum’s case, he has made great progress and almost feels his usual self, which is obviously the news we all want to hear,” Lampard told the club’s website.
When is the Euros, why is it delayed and who will play in the tournament?
Japan hints at Olympics postponement if nations refuse to send athletes due to coronavirus
Ex-Real Madrid president taken to hospital with coronavirus symptoms
Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz is in hospital in Spain with symptoms consistent with coronavirus, according to his son Fernando.
The 76-year-old was president at the Bernabeu from 1995-2005 and Real won six trophies during his time in charge, including the 1998 and 2000 Champions League titles.
Fernando Sanz, who played for Real during his father's time as club president, said in quotes reported by Marca: "We are quite worried and little can be done.
"He had been feverish for eight days, they called the phone and told him to take paracetamol.
"He did not want to go to the hospital until he was short of air and he was getting worse.
"They put him inside and told him that he was bad, with little oxygen in his blood. He said he had a low fever and did not want to collapse the system.
"We do not know if it is coronavirus or not.
"My mother is there because we have not been able to go. They have said that they would call and that, as long as they do not call, it is good news."
WWE wrestling without fans isn’t wrestling at all
Tennis players furious at ‘selfish and arrogant’ decision to reschedule French Open
Tennis players around the world have hit out at the lack of communication from the game’s governing bodies in the wake of the French Open‘s shock switch to September from May because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) on Tuesday said the clay court Grand Slam at Roland Garros would now take place from 20 September – 4 October, dates that clash with several other events.
The French Open will begin just seven days after the US Open final in New York, leaving players to contest the clay court Grand Slam in the middle of the hard court swing.
Palace make pledge to staff over coronavirus hiatus
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has vowed to pay matchday casual staff and insists colleagues will not be placed on statutory sick pay for health issues relating to coronavirus.
A statement from Parish read: "Following my message two days ago, I wanted to provide further clarity on two areas relating to our staff.
"Firstly, in order to ensure the impact of this health crisis is minimised, we will not be placing any of our colleagues on statutory sick pay for health issues relating to COVID-19 during this crisis.
"We are also aware of the impact on matchday casual staff where games are cancelled or played behind closed doors. Whilst we are not anticipating this to be the case, we will ensure that matchday staff who would have been employed by the club for these fixtures are not disadvantaged financially.
"Once again I wish everybody the very best as we all adapt to the situation."
WTA players pledge to help amid coronavirus pandemic
Mikel leaves Turkish side Trabzonspor over coronavirus fears
John Obi Mikel has left Turkish side Trabzonspor days after the former Chelsea midfielder said he did not feel comfortable with top-flight games in the country being played despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The Super Lig team confirmed in a statement that the Nigerian, who joined them last year and had a contract until May 2021, had left by mutual consent.
"There is more to life than football," the 32-year-old had said on Instagram on Saturday.
"I do not feel comfortable and don't want to play football in this situation. Everyone should be home with their families and loved ones in this critical time.
"Season should be cancelled as the world is facing such turbulent times."
US Open could switch dates
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) admits it is open to switching the US Open to a later date after the move from the French Open to postpone the grand slam.
Due to start on 31 August, the US Open made a point of criticising the French Tennis Federation's unilateral decision to move Roland Garros.
"At a time when the world is coming together, we recognise that such a decision should not be made unilaterally," a statement said.
"Therefore the USTA would only [act] in full consultation with the other Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA and ATP, the ITF and our partners, including the Laver Cup."
When the Manchester United players were told that training was off in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, jokes – and other more serious suggestions – soon went around about completing the season on Fifa. It’s been like that at every club. Players are just young people and will fall back on what a lot of young people do, albeit with one significant difference.
“They’re probably now the only calm people in football,” one agent says. “Their lives are so controlled that they’re largely used to being told what to do and where to be, as well as making sacrifices and the highs and lows of the game. The players are possibly the only people in football not panicking.”
That is only the case now, though, since the decisions on postponements have been made. It wasn’t quite so calm amid the uncertainty before that, in the days before Friday’s announcement. The vast majority of players were understandably wondering why they were being forced to play, and worrying about what it could mean for their health and that of their families. They didn’t see playing behind closed doors as any kind of solution. It still meant a lot of physical contact and a lot of potential spread of the virus.
Juventus have confirmed that midfielder Blaise Matuidi has tested positive for coronavirus.
The Serie A club’s squad and staff were already under self-isolation after defender Daniele Rugani became one of the first players to return a positive test for Covid-19 earlier this month.
All Juventus’s players underwent subsequent testing as a result, with the club now confirming the 32-year-old French World Cup winner as the second squad member to contract the virus, despite not yet showing any symptoms.
“Footballer Blaise Matuidi has undergone medical tests that have revealed his positivity to Coronavirus-COVID-19,” a club statement read.
“The player, on Wednesday 11 March, in voluntary home isolation, will continue to be monitored and to follow the same regime. He is well and is asymptomatic.”
Tour of Yorkshire cancelled due to coronavirus
The Tour of Yorkshire has been cancelled due to coronavirus, with the cycling event originally due to take place across the county from 30 April to 3 May.
Peter Box CBE, chair of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: "The health and well-being of everyone across the region, and the country, is frankly more important than a sporting event."
Parkruns cancelled across UK over coronavirus
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Uefa has said its aim is to complete the Champions League season by 30 June this year amid the chaos that coronavirus has caused the footballing calendar.
Earlier on Tuesday, Euro 2020 was postponed until 2021 in order to free up space this summer to ensure club football campaigns around Europe can be finished.
In a statement, Uefa said it had convened and “unanimously agreed” on a commitment “to complete all domestic and European club competitions by the end of the current sporting season, i.e. 30 June 2020 at the latest, should the situation improve and resuming playing be appropriate and prudent enough”.
Uefa also agreed upon the “possible adaptations of the 2020/21 Uefa Champions League and Uefa Europa League qualifying rounds,” however, “in case of late completion of the 2019/20 sporting season, i.e. after 30 June 2020.
