The coronavirus pandemic wiped out most of the world’s major sporting events in an unprecedented 24 hours.
As Friday began, the Premier League was one of the last football competitions standing – albeit with fans awaiting the outcome of an emergency meeting.
During the wait, at 10:20 GMT,England’s men’s cricketTest tour or Sri Lanka was cancelled. Then at about 11:00 GMT thePremier League and EFLannounced:no football until April.
In fact, there will be no elite football in the whole of Britain for the next three weeks at least – with BBC Sport’s Dan Roan reporting that a Premier League and EFL re-start on 3-4 April is privately deemed “almost impossible”.
The onlySix Nationsfixture still scheduled for this weekend, Wales v Scotland, was definitely on at 09:30 GMT, butcalled offby 14:00.
More followed.The Masterswas also postponed at 14:00, and it was announced at 17:05 that April’sLondon Marathonwill be moved to October.
There was still some live sport happening. A crowd of 68,859 watchedAl Boum Photo win a second successive Cheltenham Gold Cup.
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If you struggled to keep up with Friday’s continuous stream of cancellations, here is what is off and what is still going ahead this weekend.
Which sports events have been cancelled because of coronavirus?
On a day of widespread sporting postponements worldwide, here is a round-up:
- All elite British footballhas been suspended until 3 April.
- Uefa haspostponed next week’s Champions League and Europa Leaguefixtures.
- France and Germany’stop two divisionswere postponed, joining the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and USA leagues in taking action.
- The London Marathonhas been moved from 26 April to 4 October, with the Manchester and Brighton Marathons also postponed.
- In rugby union, Saturday’s Six Nations match betweenWales and Scotlandhas been postponed, as has Sunday’s Premiership Cup final betweenSale and Harlequins.
- England’sTest cricket series in Sri Lankahas been cancelled.
- Golf’sMasters is postponed,hours after the Players Championship wascalled off.
- Cycling’s Giro d’Italia, scheduled to start in Hungary in May,has been called off.
- Formula 1 hascalled off the Vietnam Grand Prixon 5 April.
- Formula E issuspended for two months, affecting races in Paris, Seoul and Jakarta.
Which sports events are still going ahead?
But there is still live sport this weekend, here’s what remains at the time of publication:
- Rugby league fixtures, with the exception of Catalans v Leeds Rhinos,are on this weekend.
- Netball Superleague fixtureson Saturday and Monday.
- Basketball’sBBL and WBBL Trophy finalsin Glasgow on Sunday.
- Most National League footballthis weekend.
- Olympic boxing qualifiersat London’s Copper Box Arena from 14-24 March.
- All England Open Badminton.
What could be next?
BBC Newsreportsthat the UK Government could ban mass gatherings from as early as next week in a shift in policy to ease pressure on emergency services.
As it stands, the Grand National is still going ahead on 4 April.
Attention will now turn to the summer. European football’s governing body Uefa has called anemergency meeting on Tuesdayat which the possibility of postponing Euro 2020 by one year will be an option discussed.
Premier League clubs will hold a second emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the outcome of the Uefa decision on Euro 2020 and how it might impact the rest of the domestic season.
And what about the world’s biggest sporting event – the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games?
Japan’s Olympics minister has conceded the Games could be postponed until later in the year if the coronavirus outbreak makes their scheduled start on 24 July unfeasible.
BBC Sports