Full list of sports coronavirus postponements and cancellations

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The Australian Football League season has been put on hold for 70 days to become the latest mainstream sport interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After playing the first round of their shortened season at the weekend behind closed doors, government travel restrictions forced the AFL’s hand.

No matches are to be played until at least the end of May, but it seems highly likely the hiatus will last much longer.

Australia’s NRL, considered the top rugby league competition in the world, has said it hopes to play on next weekend, but given the government order for no non-essential travel seems unlikely to be able to continue.

Here is the WGL’s quick guide to the major cancellations and delays that have hit the world of sports and sports betting.

Basketball

The NBA has put its 2019-2020 season on hold until more is know about the effects of the pandemic. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on Friday, March 13, that the hiatus would likely be at least 30 days, meaning we can expect the season to resume mid-April at the earliest.

IN Europ, Euroleague Basketball has suspended all 2019-20 EuroLeague and EuroCup  games.

Ice Hockey

The National Hockey League (NHL) has suspended its season indefinitely, as of Thursday, March 12. “Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup,” commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.” Read more about Ice hockey.

Baseball

Major League Baseball has pushed back its scheduled opening day of March 26 by at least two week. Spring training has also been suspended.

The start of the Japanese baseball league season has been postponed.

Athletics

The World Athletics Indoor Championships scheduled for Nanjing, China, on March 13-15 haven been rescheduled for Nanjing in March, 2021.

Meanwhile, marathons in Paris, Barcelona and London have been marathons have been postponed.

Football/Soccer

The English Premier League headlines the list of coronovirus cancellations in football and has been suspended until April 4, along with all other elite matches in the country.

In Germany, the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 have been put on old until April 2.

In France, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, which are the top two level, have been suspended indefinitely.

In Spain, the top two divisions have been postponed for a fortnight.

In the United States, the Major League Soccer has been suspended until further notice.

The new Chinese, Japanese and South Korean league seasons have been postponed.

Motorsport

The Formula One Australian Grand Prix has been cancelled the next races races in Bahrain, Vietnam and China have been postponed.

Meanwhile in the MotoGP, races in Qatar, Thailand, the US and Argentina have been cancelled.

Fans will not be able to attend NASCAR races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 15) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (March 22).

Tennis

On the men’s professional tennis tour (ATP), the Miami Open scheduled to start on March 23 was cancelled and tour has been put on ice for six weeks.

On the women’s tour events in Mexico and Colombia in March/April are off.

Rugby

In rugby, competitions impacted by coronavirus to date include four Six Nations matches have been postponed, while Singapore and Hong Kong legs of the World Rugby Sevens Series have been pushed back to October.

France’s top rugby competition has been suspended.

Meanwhile, the southern hemisphere’s Super Rugby club competition which involves clubs from NZ, Australia, South Africa, Japan and Argentina is also on hold.

Rugby league

The National Rugby League of Australia has completed the first two rounds of its 2020 season but it is uncertain if the competition will be able to continue after March 22. Fans are not permitted at games and teams are using charter flights to get around the country, while New Zealand team the Warriors based in Australia as they would face quarantine on returning to NZ.

Table Tennis

The world championships of table tennis were due to be played in South Korea in March but have been delayed until June.

Golf

Golf has also been hard hit by the coronavirus, with the US Masters at Augusta, Georgia, was scheduled for April 9 to 12 but has been postponed to “some later date”. The unofficial fifth major, the Players Championship at Sawgrass, was scrapped after the first round, and the next three events on the PGA Tour have been called off.

 The LPGA tourmanent in Thailand and HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore were called off.

Cycling

The Giro d’Italia (due to start on May 9) has also been postponed because of the coronavirus, while Tour de France fans will be looking on anxiously.

Cricket

The three-match one-day cricket series between Australia and New Zealand has been abandoned after one match, while the India-South Africa three-match series has been postponed.

The Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament has been postponed until April 15.

The Sheffield Shield, the domestic four-day competition in Australia, has also been forced to cancel the final round of matches which were due to start on March 17. The Sheffield Shield final is now also in extreme doubt, although a decision will not be made yet.

England’s Test series in Sri Lanka has been postponed.

Australian football

The AFL had completed only the first round of its truncated 2020 season when new government travel restrictions meant it had to go on hold on March 22. The first round of eight matches was all played behind closed doors but now the AFL is on hold until at least the end of May.

The AFL Women’s season was abandoned with no premiers declared.

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