The latest on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
Tennis Canada has canceled its Fischer Indoor Junior National tournaments due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U12 and U14 events in Montreal and the U16 and U18 events in Toronto are affected. All four tournaments should start in March.
Tennis Canada said government health and travel restrictions related to the pandemic, as well as a desire to ensure the safety of those involved, were factors in the decision.
Canada’s Tennis Association added that although no events will be organized for the first quarter of 2021, plans remain in place for the rest of the year.
Boston College postponed two men’s basketball games this week due to positive COVID-19 tests, causing the Atlantic Coast Conference to juggle its schedule.
The Eagles were due to play Clemson on Wednesday and Louisville # 25 on Saturday.
Instead, the ACC announced that Louisville will play at Clemson on Wednesday night.
The conference also scheduled the Georgia Tech game in Louisville on February 1. The teams were originally scheduled to play on Jan 9, but COVID-19 protocols resulted in the Yellow Jackets postponing four games in a row.
With the revised schedule, Georgia Tech will play three games over a seven-day period, starting with Tuesday’s game at Duke, followed by a home game against Florida State No. 16 on Saturday.
Thursday night’s womens basketball game between Maryland and Rutgers has been postponed “as mutually agreed with caution regarding the health and safety of the participants.”
The shift was announced in a press release from Maryland. There was no explanation of COVID-19 issues on either team.
Maryland and Rutgers will work out a makeup appointment in coordination with the Big Ten.
The Atlanta Hawks will let in a small number of fans for the first time this season when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.
The team allows 8% capacity in the State Farm Arena, which equates to a socially distant crowd of around 1,300 people in an almost 17,000-seat arena.
The Hawks had originally hoped to have fans for the first time at their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day game last week, but a surge in COVID-19 cases resulted in a delay.
Facial covering is required at all times in the arena, which offers contactless access, screening and transactions, as well as touchless hand sanitizing stations and toilet facilities. Plexiglass partitions were installed in concession areas and some seating areas. Additional cleaning and disinfection procedures will also be in place.
Thursday night’s womens basketball game between Maryland and Rutgers has been postponed “as mutually agreed with caution regarding the health and safety of the participants.”
The shift was announced in a press release from Maryland. There was no explanation of COVID-19 issues on either team.
Maryland and Rutgers will work out a makeup appointment in coordination with the Big Ten.
The National Hockey League has postponed the Tampa Bay, Carolina game scheduled for Tuesday amid the Hurricanes’ concerns about the coronavirus.
It’s the fourth straight game in Carolina that has been postponed and Thursday’s game of lightning in Raleigh could also be in jeopardy. Tuesday’s game has been postponed to February 22nd as part of several schedule changes.
The team had six players on the NHL’s COVID-19 list when it was last released on Sunday.
Carolina, Dallas, Florida, Nashville and Tampa Bay have all postponed games because of the pandemic. These teams all play in the newly aligned Central Division.
Texas trainer Shaka Smart announced Monday that he tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation.
“I work remotely and I look forward to being part of our team in person if it is safe to do so,” Smart said in a statement released by the school.
The No. 5 Longhorns haven’t played in more than a week after two games were postponed due to novel coronavirus issues in Iowa State and TCU.
Texas is expected to host No. 24 Oklahoma on Tuesday. The school did not immediately announce who would train in that game.
Texas missed three players in their final game, a win over Kansas State, including freshman Greg Brown, though a reason for their absence was not disclosed.
The Cactus League has asked Major League Baseball to postpone the start of spring training a little more than three weeks due to coronavirus concerns before pitchers and catchers are due to report.
The Cactus League made the request in a letter to Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred that The Associated Press received on Monday. The letter was jointly signed by Arizona community leaders including mayors of Mesa, Scottsdale, Surprise, Glendale, Peoria, Goodyear, and Peoria, as well as representatives from Phoenix and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa community in India.
Arizona averages just over 7,000 new coronavirus cases per day, but the Cactus League cited data in its letter from the University of Washington’s Institute of Health Metrics and Assessment that forecast a sharp decline in infections in Arizona by mid-March to just a few 3,072 daily.
Despite the troubled number of cases, the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes are receiving 3,450 fans for home games in Glendale, and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns are playing without fans. University sports are also still in operation.
Changes to the schedule of the main league require an agreement with the players’ association.
The Chattanooga Mocs have postponed two men’s basketball games following a positive COVID-19 test among Tier 1 employees on the team.
Chattanooga has postponed the game on Wednesday night at ETSU and the trip to Furman on Saturday. Level 1 employees include players, coaches, and key personnel.
This is Chattanooga’s first change to the schedule since the season began. The Mocs season opener has been changed from Bellarmine to Lander. The second game was postponed for a few weeks due to problems with both programs in Kentucky.
The Southern Conference postponed three games because of positive COVID-19 tests on the men’s Furman and Chattanooga basketball programs.
UNC Greensboro in Furman on Monday night and Chattanooga’s visit to East Tennessee on Wednesday night have been postponed, and Chattanooga’s game in Furman, scheduled for Saturday, has also been canceled.
Furman’s next scheduled game is February 3rd in Samford, while Chattanooga is slated to return to the Western Carolina course on the same day. ___
Minnesota’s premier dog sled race will take place next week, but this year spectators won’t be attending the event.
The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon traditionally attracts thousands of spectators at the start of the race in Duluth, at checkpoints and at the finish in Grand Portage. However, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, viewers were told to stay home and watch the race online.
Race directors, mushers, handlers, and hundreds of volunteers are required to wear face covering.
It’s a big field this year with more than 70 mushers registered between three races, reports WDIO-TV.
The race has been held every January since 1980. At roughly 400 miles, the event is billed as the longest dog sled race in the lower 48 states and is a qualifier for the Iditarod in Alaska.
There were eight positive tests from 2,518 English Premier League players and club staff that were tested twice last week.
The results follow 16 cases announced last Monday and 36 the previous Monday.
All eight positive tests from the past week were recorded in the first round of testing from Monday January 18 through Thursday January 21. There were no positive tests from Friday January 22 to Sunday January 24.
Anyone who tests positive must self-isolate for 10 days.
The Belgian Football Association says amateur competitions should be suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Professional football and the Belgian Cup competition can continue without fans in the stadiums. The amateur teams in the Belgian Cup receive a special permit.
The association says that only children under the age of 12 are allowed to continue playing.
The association says the financial consequences of the pandemic have been “enormous” and that it has already spent 8 million euros on supporting clubs.
Belgium was hit hard by the pandemic. The country of 11.5 million people has reported more than 20,000 deaths related to the coronavirus.
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