Sports World Grinds to a Halt: Major Football, Basketball and Tennis Tournaments Suspended

While the Olympic flame is lit in Greece without spectators, major sporting tournaments are being canceled en masse across Europe.

Football

On Monday the Italian championship became the first serious European tournament to be suspended due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus — the country's authorities banned mass events and closed borders, including between regions, making team travel impossible.

After the matches played on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Champions League, the heads of the Spanish top flight followed the Italians' example. It all started with a quarantine imposed on Real Madrid (the virus was detected in one of the basketball team's players), after which the Spanish giant's shared facilities were closed. As a result — two rounds of the national championship were postponed in both La Liga and Segunda.

Following the Spanish, the decision to suspend national championships was taken in Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and MLS (the top unified league of the USA and Canada).

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) confirmed today that a meeting with representatives of 55 associations will take place on March 17, at which a decision will be made regarding all domestic and European tournaments, including Euro 2020.

The authoritative French publication L'Equipe and several other sources, however, claim that the decision to postpone the European Championship has already been made and the tournament will take place in 2021. Meanwhile, a final decision has been made on two Champions League matches expected next week: the second legs of Man City — Real and Juventus — Lyon will not take place at the previously scheduled time.

Of the major football leagues, the Premier League is holding firm so far. Although the UK authorities are already considering banning all sporting events, the Premier League announced that its next round not only will take place but will also be played with spectators in the stands.

UPD (13.03, 11:45): German Bundesliga matches are also being canceled — until April 2 at the earliest. Matches of the upcoming weekend's round will take place, but behind closed doors.

UPD (13.03, 12:10): UEFA officially announced that all Champions League and Europa League matches scheduled for next week are being postponed. The draws for the quarterfinal stages of both tournaments will also take place later.

UPD (13.03, 12:50): After players and coaching staff of three clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton) went into self-isolation due to a coronavirus outbreak within the teams, the English Premier League together with the English Football League (EFL) canceled all matches until April 4.

Basketball

The National Basketball Association announced the suspension of the season from March 12 indefinitely after a player on the Utah Jazz was diagnosed with a coronavirus infection. 

There was also an amusing story: Utah Jazz basketball player Rudy Gobert, who the day before answered questions about the coronavirus at a press conference with jokes and touched all the microphones and recorders, ultimately tested positive for the virus himself.

All this despite the fact that the day before, an infection had been recorded in Utah's club star Donovan Mitchell. Moreover, teammates say Rudy behaved in the same way in the locker room, deliberately touching teammates and their belongings. Not the Darwin Award, of course, but close.

Tennis

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) announced today that all tournaments held under its aegis — not only top-tier events but also "Challengers" — have been postponed by six weeks. Although the May Grand Slam tournament in Paris (Roland Garros) remains on, this means that, among others, the Miami Open, the Masters in Monte Carlo and tournaments in Barcelona and Budapest will not take place at their previously scheduled times, in addition to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, US.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) reported a couple of hours later that the Miami Open will not take place this year, and all International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments scheduled to run until April 20 are being postponed.

Hockey

"The NHL has tried to follow the decisions of health experts and authorities while continuing preparations for various scenarios, — said the statement from the world's main hockey league. — However, after news that a test for the coronavirus came back positive for one NBA player, and given that in many leagues locker rooms and other facilities are used by different teams, it is very likely that an infection will soon be recorded in an NHL player as well, so it seems inappropriate to keep playing in such times."

The NHL adds that it is committed to continuing the tournament and determining the Stanley Cup winner, but all this will be possible "as soon as the right time comes."

Formula 1

It became known today that the McLaren team has withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Grand Prix, after the coronavirus was detected in one of the team members, who self-isolated "as soon as they felt symptoms of the disease." Formula One bosses ultimately decided to cancel the Melbourne Grand Prix round entirely.

Vasily Obaraz, TK Media