Sports governing bodies and broadcasters will come together for a government meeting on Monday to discuss the impact of the coronavirus amid reports Premier League matches could be played behind closed doors.
According to the Press Association, the meeting is part of the government’s long-term contingency planning and will cover a variety of possible scenarios.
This includes weighing up whether to hold certain events behind closed doors should the Covid-19 virus continue to spread and gatherings of large numbers of people are banned.
It will be hosted by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with head of public affairs Ross Hamilton representing the British Horseracing Authority.
A BHA spokesman on Friday evening reiterated the sport continued to operate on the basis of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “business as usual” statement, while at the same time its COVID 19 group continues to plan for a range of scenarios across all phases of the government response.
Betfair’s market on whether the Cheltenham Festival will start as planned on Tuesday saw ‘yes’ trading at 1.11 as of 8.45pm on Friday, with ‘no’ priced at 9.2.
The Premier League and EFL have already moved to ban handshakes from football games to avoid spreading the disease.
Football matches across Europe continue to be called off at a vast rate, with Strasbourg's meeting with French champions PSG postponed as a result of the coronavirus.
Clubs in Italy have also seen matches postponed due to the spread of the virus, with Juventus' fixture against Inter Milan set to be played in front of an empty stadium on Sunday.
Additional reporting from the Press Association.
