How the Coronavirus Is Disrupting Sports Events

In Japan, J League games have been postponed for a week, and a longer delay is possible. In China, the Super League schedule has not yet begun, with no date for a return set, as much of the country is under virtual lockdown.

The Spanish team Getafe said it would not go to Italy for a Europa League game Thursday. The game was subsequently postponed. Going in the other direction, Roma will not travel to Sevilla for its game because its plane was not authorized to land in Spain.

All World Cup qualifying games in Asia were postponed until the fall. The Slovakia-Ireland playoff for Euro 2020 will be played without fans.

Olympics

The flame lighting ceremony in Greece on Thursday will be held without spectators. Olympic officials continue to maintain that the Summer Games will proceed as scheduled in Tokyo in July and August.

Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, dismissed comments by an executive board member who said the Games should be delayed a year. “He certainly said an outlandish thing,” Mori said.

Rugby

The France-Ireland game set for this weekend in Paris has been postponed, the third Six Nations match to be put on hold. For now, the last remaining match for the weekend, Wales-Scotland, will be played as scheduled.

Baseball

The Seattle Mariners said they were working on alternative plans for their six home games scheduled for March, in accordance with a ban, announced Wednesday, on large-group events in the area through at least the end of March.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/sports/coronavirus-sports.html