How Premier League stars are trying to keep fit during coronavirus outbreak
Premier League stars are being asked to complete You Tube workouts as clubs desperately try to keep their players fit during the Coronavirus delay.
But there is an emerging concern within top-flight sides that the imbalance in training schedules across playing personnel will serious damage the integrity of the competition once it starts up again.
One backroom members at top-flight club has described the home fitness regimes given to players during the Coronavirus training restrictions as ‘pointless’.
Premier League clubs are trying to keep players fit over the unprecedented football break
A number of Premier League stars have shared posts of themselves training at home
A number of clubs have drawn up off-site training programmes for players who are homebound because of Covid-19.
But each programme varies according to what equipment each player has access to at home.
Many Premier League players have fully-equipped gyms at their homes meaning they can maintain their fitness levels with strength and cardiovascular work.
The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Recce James and Tammy Abraham have all posted videos of themselves having completed interval sessions on an exercise bike, while other players with treadmills at home are competing high-intensity sprint sessions.
Many Premier League players have fully-equipped gyms at home to use during the break
However, players who do not have requisite training equipment may find it tricky to stay fit
But players who do not have the appropriate training equipment face a far more difficult task of staying fit ahead of the restart.
Clubs have supplied those without access to home gyms with bodyweight programmes – which include exercises such as squats and press ups – to give players the best possible opportunity to maintain strength.
And Sportsmail can reveal that some players are completing high-intensity workouts available on You Tube to maintain their cardiovascular fitness.
Players have also been provided with mobility and stretching plans to ensure they do not get injured and a clear message to ‘stay hydrated’ at all times.
Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus shares footage of himself keeping in shape during the break
But a member of one Premier League club’s backroom team said: ‘The training programmes are pointless. The players are elite athletes, they need to be pushed everyday. It’ll be a problem when the games start back up because players will have lost fitness and sharpness.’
Indeed, there is a widespread acknowledgement that the training schedules are no substitute for the day-to-day rigours of real-life training, with club backroom team fully expecting players to return having lost fitness.
The fact players will be undergoing undulating intensity training levels means players will return with differing stages of fitness.
Likewise, the fact some clubs are still training at their respective bases could also lead to varying fitness levels of across the league, which has raised concern that it will not be a level playing field once matches recommenced.
Lucas Torreira gets down to business despite just recently suffering a fractured ankle
HOW EACH PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB IS TACKLING THE BREAK
ARSENAL
Training is due to recommence next Tuesday. Around 100 staff, including playing and technical staff, are self-isolating after manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for the virus.
ASTON VILLA
Villa trained normally on Monday but were then given two days off while the hierarchy considers their next steps in terms of player fitness.
Training at Arsenal is to commence next week after Mikel Arteta tested positive for the virus
BOURNEMOUTH
Players are keeping fit away from the training ground using tailor-made programmes ahead of their return to duty – mooted for next Monday. While training at home, players have been offered equipment to use if needed, but not a food plan.
Club doctor Craig Roberts gave a presentation to players on Friday, encouraging them to keep a low profile and to stay only within a tight, small group of people, such as their families.
BRIGHTON
Brighton’s players have been given a few days off and will return to the training ground on Friday when their training schedule will be reviewed.
BURNLEY
The players are training as normal but only essential staff are working with them at the club’s Barnfield base. Any visitors are subject to increased checks and hygiene requirements. Burnley will review the situation on a daily basis.
Chelsea will return to training on Sunday at the conclusion of their self-isolation period
CHELSEA
Players will return to training on Sunday once their period of self-isolation ends following Callum Hudson-Odoi’s positive test.
While they have been in isolation, Chelsea have made provisions to ensure their players stay in shape, giving them nutrition and fitness plans and the required kit such as bikes to ensure they can complete their tasks.
The men’s building was closed for a deep clean last Thursday before Hudson-Odoi’s positive test and then shut down afterwards on Friday as players and coaches went into isolation. But it has been reopened since Saturday to players doing rehab and unaffected staff members.
CRYSTAL PALACE
The club’s training ground has been closed since Monday with players now training on their own.
EVERTON
Finch Farm is out of bounds for a fortnight, so individual programmes are the way forward. The club’s conditioning team know what each player is doing and how hard they are working as they have to wear smart watches that are linked to a database.
Finch Farm training ground is out of bounds for a fortnight with players training at home
LEICESTER
Players continue to work away from the club’s Belvoir Drive training ground and each has been given an individual training and nutrition programme to follow.
LIVERPOOL
The players are away from Melwood for at least two weeks so are working on specialised individual programmes. Andreas Kornmayer, the club’s head of fitness and conditioning, is held in the highest regard by Jurgen Klopp and has worked closely with the squad for four years so knows the players’ needs.
MAN CITY
Players have been given individual training plans to complete remotely. Some hire personal chefs, while others follow recipes devised by club nutritionist Silvia Tremoleda.
Pep Guardiola’s squad have been told to remain at home for the entire week and City will review the situation in the coming days. City have not trained as a group since last Thursday, when a relative of Benjamin Mendy was tested for coronavirus.
Manchester City have given individual training programmes to their players to complete
MAN UTD
United have made ‘appropriate plans for players to maintain their wellbeing in all aspects’ while away from the club, including individual training programmes and nutrition. They have also been told to refrain from travelling.
NEWCASTLE
Players have been given home training schedules which medical staff can keep track of via individual GPS devices while the training ground – or ‘rabbit warren’ given its cramped nature – is closed. Many of the exercises are static – such as weights. None of the squad or staff have symptoms of the virus but there will be no quick return to the training ground.
NORWICH
Norwich’s players are at home working to programmes similar to that of a summer break. Staff can monitor their progress from afar. Manager Daniel Farke said: ‘We have to act carefully and responsibly during what is a stormy and crazy time for society.’
Norwich’s players are at home on similar programmes to the ones used over the summer
SHEFFIELD UTD
The Blades are approaching the situation on a day-to-day basis, with conversations between first-team staff happening hourly as to whether the next training session is on. Chris Wilder’s side have trained over the last few days but have also postponed some sessions.
SOUTHAMPTON
Players trained as normal on Monday but are now following personalised fitness programmes from home. Medical and sports science staff will be in regular contact with the squad, ensuring they are well-equipped to stay in shape.
TOTTENHAM
Tottenham have trained as normal this week and will take a day off on Thursday. The first-team squad are operating strictly within their own area and with no interaction with the rest of the building.
Mourinho’s plans at the moment are to try to stay as closely as possible to the normal regime with some days off. Clubs shops have been closed until further notice and stadium tours have been suspended.
WATFORD
Boss Nigel Pearson has been in contact with his players with advice to keep their fitness levels up during the hiatus. Keeper Ben Foster has said he is spending more time out on his bike to keep in shape.
Wolves players had two days off this week but training is set to resume on Thursday
WEST HAM
The squad are currently following a modified training programme and meal plans from home with their Rush Green base closed. Manager David Moyes and his assistants are no longer self-isolating and no staff or players have shown symptoms. Players have been told medical staff are available 24/7.
WOLVES
All but the first-team squad were absent from Compton on Monday, but coach Nuno Espirito Santo and his players went through a regular training session. The squad were then given Tuesday and Wednesday off and could resume training on Thursday.
HOW CORONAVIRUS HAS HIT THE WORLD OF SPORT SO FAR
2020 OLYMPIC GAMES
Cancelled
The Olympic torch relay in Greece was cancelled on Friday March 13 – just a day after the flame was lit in Olympia.
Large crowds mobbed Hollywood actor Gerard Butler as he lit the cauldron in the Greek city of Sparta despite repeated warnings for spectators not to attend because of coronavirus.
That forced the decision by the Greek Olympic Committee to halt the torch relay on Greek soil on just the second day of its scheduled eight-day journey. It is the only the third time that a relay to Athens for the summer Games has not been completed.
The Olympic flame will still be handed over to the Tokyo 2020 organising committee at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on Thursday March 19, but without fans present. The start of the Japanese relay, in Fukushima, will take place without fans, and local governments are cancelling their welcoming ceremonies.
In doubt
The scale of the outbreak in Japan saw senior International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound describe the disease as ‘the new war’ threatening Tokyo 2020 and he warned the Games may have to be cancelled if the virus was still around by May.
Olympic organisers told athletes to train as normal with no decision on cancellation
The Japanese government later insisted Pound’s comments were not the IOC’s official stance but there remains doubts over whether the summer showcase can still go ahead with health concerns.
Athletes have been told to keep training and the plan remains to hold the Games in Japan as planned but training for around 80,000 volunteers has been delayed for at least until May – it was due to begin on February 22.
On Friday March 13 US president Donald Trump’s suggestion to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for a year because of the coronavirus was immediately shot down by Japan’s Olympic minister.
‘The IOC and the organising committee are not considering cancellation or a postponement – absolutely not at all,’ Seiko Hashimoto, an Olympic bronze medalist, told a news conference in Tokyo.
On Tuesday March 17, Kozo Tashima, one of the Japanese Olympic Committee’s vice presidents and president of the Japanese Football Association, tested positive for coronavirus.
The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organisers have stayed on message since the viral outbreak in China three months ago spread across Asia and then the globe: The games will open as scheduled on July 24.
ATHLETICS
Cancelled
The World Athletics Indoor Championships, which was due to be held from March 13-15 in Nanjing, is postponed until March 2021.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, has been postponed due to concerns over the danger of the coronavirus and its ability to spread
North Korea cancelled the Pyongyang Marathon scheduled for April after imposing a border lockdown due to the level of outbreak in South Korea, where the Seoul Marathon is cancelled in a bid to protect runners.
The Paris half-marathon is cancelled and the French government also decided to ban all public gatherings of more than 100 people, before ordering people to stay at home from March 15 for at least 15 days. The race involving some 44,000 competitors was scheduled for Sunday March 1. Organisers said the race will be postponed to a date yet to be determined.
The London Marathon, which had been scheduled to take place on April 26, has been postponed until October 4. Over 40,000 runners were due to take part.
The Barcelona marathon scheduled for March 15 has been postponed until October.
BADMINTON
Cancelled
German Open (March 3-8), Vietnam Open (March 24-29) and Polish Open (March 26-29), all Olympic qualifying events, are cancelled due to ‘strict health protection’.
BOXING
Cancelled
Olympic boxing qualifiers to be staged in Wuhan were cancelled by the International Olympic Committee, but went ahead in Amman from March 3-11.
The IBF title fight between Daniele Scardina and Andrew Francillette in Milan on February 28 was postponed by Matchroom due to restrictions in Italy following the outbreak.
The Japanese boxing commission cancelled all fight cards scheduled for March on government advice to suspend all pending sporting fixtures. They will not be rescheduled.
Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce’s Battle of Britain has been pushed back from April to July
The British Boxing Board of Control announced on Tuesday March 17 that all boxing events under their jurisdiction for March will be postponed due to the coronavirus.
That decision has lead to the heavyweight clash between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce being postponed. That fight, which had been penciled in for April 11, has been rescheduled for July 11 at the O2 Arena.
Matchroom Boxing has also postponed all events scheduled for March and April, including Josh Kelly’s European title fight against Russia’s David Avanesyan (scheduled for March 28).
The European Olympic boxing qualification tournament in London has been suspended. It was due to secure qualification for Tokyo 2020 for 77 male and female boxers, with 322 taking part.
In doubt
Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn has said Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defence against Kubrat Pulev, which is scheduled for June 20, could be rearranged for July. All Matchroom promoted fights in March and April have been postponed.
Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders, earmarked for May in Las Vegas, was postponed before even being announced, however the Mexican is reportedly still planning to make the bout happen in June.
CRICKET
Cancelled
England’s tour of Sri Lanka was postponed on Friday 13 March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the England and Wales Cricket Board citing ‘completely unprecedented times’.
The decision was confirmed while Joe Root’s side were in the field at Colombo’s P Sara Oval, contesting a warm-up game for a two-Test series that was in the process of being written off by decision-makers back at Lord’s.
The start of the Indian Premier League season has also been delayed until April 15. The 2020 campaign had been set to start on March 29.
On Friday 13 March, India’s ongoing one-day international series against South Africa was postponed, while Australia’s one-day internationals against New Zealand will be played behind closed doors.
Scotland’s one-day series against the United States and UAE have been postponed. The games were scheduled to be played in Florida in April.
CYCLING
Cancelled
Cycling’s Giro d’Italia has been called off, with the race scheduled to start in Hungary in May.
In doubt
Danish cyclist Michael Morkov has been cleared to race at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships after being kept in isolation over fears of an outbreak of coronavirus.
Morkov, 34, had travelled to Berlin in February after contesting the first four stages of the UAE Tour, the final two stages of which were then cancelled after two members of staff on the race were suspected of having the disease.
Riders and staff on the UAE Tour have been in lockdown since but, after the Abu Dhabi Department of Health issued a statement on Saturday saying 167 tests had come back negative, the UCI said Morkov was free to race as normal.
Danish cyclist Michael Morkov was tested for coronavirus after being put in isolation
The Tour de France is under threat of cancellation, with the scheduled start in Nice taking place in just over three months, on June 27. With British and French governments anticipating that the pandemic will last until the summer, race organizers are studying alternative scheduling.
FOOTBALL
Cancelled
This summer’s EURO 2020 tournament has been moved to next summer (2021) following a UEFA conference held on Tuesday 17 March. The postponement provides a chance for European leagues to be completed.
Top-level English and Scottish football has been suspended until April 3 at the earliest due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced on Friday 13 March.
The Football Association, the Premier League, the English Football League, FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship have all agreed to call a halt to competitive action with immediate effect.
A joint statement from the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Professional Football League confirmed the suspension of all football north of the border until further notice.
The decisions to suspend follows players and staff becoming affected by the virus, or individuals self-isolating as a precaution after reporting symptoms consistent with Covid-19.
The Premier League has moved to cancel games following the global outbreak of coronavius
The Premier League clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, scheduled for March 11, had already been postponed as a ‘precautionary measure’ after Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis tested positive for coronavirus weeks after watching his Greek team play at the Emirates Stadium.
On Friday 13 March, UEFA has announced all Champions League and Europa League fixtures scheduled for next week are postponed, as well as the quarter-final draws for both competitions.
All domestic fixtures at all levels are postponed by the Chinese Football Association as the season is pushed back due to the scale of the outbreak in China.
Asian Champions League matches involving Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG are postponed until April.
The start of the Korean K-League season is postponed. The four teams in the AFC Champions League are playing their matches behind closed doors.
Japan’s J-League postponed all domestic games until the middle of March.
Inter Milan’s game against Sampdoria was one of four Serie A games cancelled on February 22-23 weekend due to affected regions in Italy leading to advice from the prime minister to call off sporting events.
Inter Milan’s Europa League Round of 16 first leg match with Getafe was also postponed on March 11, while Roma’s flight to Spain to face Sevilla was banned from landing before being postponed, with Italy on lockdown.
The Coppa Italia match between Napoli and Inter Milan on March 5 was called off, when it was postponed indefinitely. It was the 12th game to be postponed since the crisis began and the third involving Inter.
Ludogorets players were taking no chances after the coronavirus outbreak in Italy
An update from sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora later confirmed all the Serie A fixtures for the weekend commencing March 7-8, would be played behind closed doors. And with the country on lockdown, it was later announced that all sport, including Serie A games, would be suspended until at least April 3 to contain the virus.
In France, it was announced on Friday 13 March that there will be no top-flight football in France for the immediate future after their governing body postponed all matches in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Spain, April 18’s Copa del Rey final between between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad has been postponed.
MLS has been suspended for 30 days with David Beckham’s first Inter Miami home game delayed.
On Friday 13 March, the FA announced that all of England’s games scheduled for the month would be postponed, including those of development teams. It means that England’s friendlies with Italy and Denmark have been called off.
Impacted
The home leg of the Chinese women’s national team’s Olympic qualification play-off against South Korea set for March is switched to Sydney. The squad are held in quarantine upon their arrival in Australia for January’s qualifying group stage due to fears of virus carriers.
Inter Milan’s Europa League match against Ludogorets on February 27 was played behind closed doors. Only TV rights-holders are allowed to attend as media as the club look to secure the San Siro. Ludogorets players arrived in Italy wearing face masks.
Serie A announced five matches on February 28-March 1 would be played behind closed doors, including Juventus vs Inter Milan in Turin, a huge match between title rivals.
Ligue 1 followed suit with games set to be played in empty stadiums until April 15. Clubs also have the option of playing games with just 1,000 fans.
LaLiga became the latest league to ban supporters in stadiums after guidance from Spain’s health ministry and sports council. Barcelona’s Champions League tie with Napoli will also be played in an empty ground.
Olympiakos’ owner Evangelos Marinakis has tested positive for the coronavirus
Manchester United clash at Austrian side Lask was behind closed doors, with United handing out £350 to each fan to help with travel and accommodation after they sold 900 tickets for the Europa League game.
Newcastle United have banned their players from shaking hands with each other amid coronavirus fears.
Three players from third-division Italian football club US Pianese have tested positive for coronavirus, the Tuscany side confirmed on Friday.
Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Nottingham Forest, tested positive for the coronavirus. Both Olympiacos and Forest squads were tested and all returned negative.
In Germany, Hannover 96 defender Timo Hubers tested positive for the virus.
Spain’s Copa del Rey final, which was set to take place on April 18, between Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao has now been postponed.
Cristiano Ronaldo went into isolation in Madeira after it emerged that his Juventus team-mate, Daniele Rugani, has coronavirus. Blaise Matuidi of Juventus has also tested positive for coronavirus.
Elsewhere in Italy, Fiorentina striker Patrick Cutrone, who is on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, has tested positive for coronavirus.
In Spain, 35% of Valencia’s squad staff tested positive for coronavirus, with all cases being asymptomatic.
Real Madrid’s first team squad were in quarantine after a member of the basketball team tested positive for Covid-19. The two teams share the same training facility.
The Football Association of Ireland announced that all football under its jurisdiction will cease until March 29.
Liverpool have announced a charity match between a Reds Legends side and Barcelona Legends, due to be played at Anfield on March 28, has been postponed.
FIFA says it will postpone South American World Cup qualifying matches due to take place in March.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus on March 12 with the entire first-team squad being put into isolation. The Gunners’ game against Brighton, scheduled for Saturday March 14, has been postponed.
In the early hours of Friday, March 13, Chelsea announced that winger Callum Hudson-Odoi had been diagnosed with the illness.
The club’s first team have gone into self-isolation, while two buildings at their training ground in Cobham have been closed. Their game against Aston Villa, scheduled for Saturday March 14, appears certain to be postponed.
In doubt
Israel has warned citizens to avoid all international travel, which raises questions whether supporters or players will travel to Scotland for their Euro 2020 play-off match on March 26.
Premier League clubs are set to hold crisis talks on Thursday 19 March as the possibility of the season being incomplete becomes increasingly realistic. West Ham chief Karren Brady called for the season to be null and void while Aston Villa believe no team should be relegated.
Football bodies across England and the rest of Europe are bracing themselves for a reported total shutdown of every league until September.
FORMULA ONE
Cancelled
The Australian Grand Prix has been called off after a McLaren team member came down with Covid-19, leading to the British team pulling out prior to a decision being made on whether the race would still go ahead.
The announcement came hours after Lewis Hamilton said it was ‘shocking’ that the race was going ahead.
The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on April 19 is postponed with no decision over whether it will be reinserted into the 2020 calendar for later in the season.
Impacted
The Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for March 20-22, is set to be called off as is the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix (scheduled to take place in Hanoi on April 5).
The Chinese GP was first to be cancelled and other races could yet follow that lead
In doubt
There are increasing fears that a large chunk of the Formula One calendar will be missed due to Covid-19. The iconic Monaco Grand Prix may be postponed with F1 chiefs targeting a return to action on June 7.
GOLF
Cancelled
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific golf championship, slated to take place from February 12-15 in Thailand, was postponed and has been rescheduled for October.
The Honda LPGA Thailand event in Pattaya, Thailand scheduled for February 20-23 along with the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, scheduled to start on February 27, were both postponed
The PGA Tour Series-China postponed two qualifying tournaments and delayed the start of its 2020 campaign by two months, cutting the number of regular season events down from 14 to 10.
The Masters has been postponed for the first time since the Second World War
The decision was made to cancel the LPGA Blue Bay tournament in China, with the event at Hainan Island (due to start on March 5) seen as dangerous to players’ health
The European Tour postponed the Maybank Championship (April 16-19 in Kuala Lumpur) and Volvo China Open (April 23-26 in Shenzhen).
After deciding to play with no spectators from the second round of the Players Championship onwards, the PGA Tour cancelled the event entirely after the first round on Thursday 12 March.
They have also scrapped their next three events, meaning there will be no PGA Tour events prior to the first major of the year, The Masters, in April. However, on Friday 13 March the prestigious Augusta tournament was also postponed.
In a statement released online, Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, emphasised that the decision makers hope to hold the prestigious tournament ‘at some later date’.
The first men’s major championship of the year was due to begin on April 9 in Georgia, but has been suspended due to the escalating pandemic.
Impacted
Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari were withdrawn from the Oman Open on medical grounds after Gagli showed symptoms of the virus. He shared a hotel room with Molinari and he was told to self-isolate. They were later reinstated to the tournament after testing negative for the virus.
HORSE RACING
Cancelled
The Grand National was called off following new Government restrictions to fight the spread of coronavirus made it impossible to stage the Aintree showpiece on April 4.
Impacted
The Japan Racing Association revealed that ‘government-sanctioned races’ will go behind closed doors.
Monday’s jumps card and the Wednesday fixture on the Flat at Compiegne will have no paying customers, with the order coming from the mayor of the town and the president of the Compiegne Racing Society.
Racing in Ireland is to take place behind closed doors starting until March 29.
The Dubai World Cup meeting will go ahead on March 28 ‘without paid hospitality spectators’.
The Cheltenham Festival went ahead despite travel disruption caused by the virus
RUGBY
Cancelled
This year’s Six Nations will have to wait for its conclusion with all games postponed due to the coronavirus.
England’s game with Italy and Ireland’s trip to France had been called off early doors with Wales and Scotland leaving it very late before calling off their game.
Scotland Women’s Six Nations match with Italy on February 23 is postponed due to an outbreak in the Milan area.
And the Women’s match between Wales and Scotland in the Six Nations on March 15 is also off after one Scottish player tested positive for the virus.
Ospreys and Ulster’s Pro14 trips to play in Italy on February 29 are postponed. Ospreys were due to play Zebre in Parma with Treviso the venue for Ulster’s game against Benetton.
Ireland’s Six Nations encounter with Italy on March 7 has been postponed
The Italian Rugby Federation suspended its National Championship and youth games for February 28-March 1.
Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is postponed, which is a blow to Olympic preparations for Team GB.
The RFU has suspended all levels of rugby in England until April 14, with the announcement coming shortly after the Premiership was halted for five weeks.
The quarter finals of the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup have also been postponed. Those games were scheduled for April 3, 4 and 5.
In doubt
The RFL is still going ahead although that may be revisited after eight Leeds Rhinos players were confirmed to be self-isolating.
TENNIS
Cancelled
All events on the ATP Tour have been suspended for six weeks.
The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California, set to start on March 9, was postponed at the eleventh hour. It came after a confirmed case of the coronavirus in the nearby Coachella Valley.
The final of an ATP Challenger event in Bergamo, Italy, between Enzo Couacaud and Illya Marchenko of Ukraine is cancelled. Both players received ranking points and prize money for getting to the final. They were denied the opportunity to play behind closed doors.
China forfeited a Davis Cup tie because the men’s team were unable to travel to Romania for the March 6-7 playoff.
WTA event Xi’an Open (set for April 13-19) is cancelled due to fears over player safety. WTA announced they are assessing their schedule with a number of events set for China in the second half of the season.
The International Tennis Federation has announced that next month’s Fed Cup finals have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The event was due to be held in Budapest and the competition’s play-offs, which were set to take place in eight different locations, have also been placed on hold.
The WTA also announced no tournaments will be staged for at least five weeks.
Impacted
Japan’s home Davis Cup tie against Ecuador next week is now set to be played behind closed doors.
Players will be banned from handing their towels to ball-kids at next week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, organisers said on Friday.
OTHER SPORTS
Cancelled
MotoGP have cancelled their first two races of the season in Qatar and Thailand. Moto2 and Moto3 will though run in Qatar though as they were already based at the track for pre-season testing.
Cycling’s United Arab Emirates Tour has been cancelled with Chris Froome tested for coronavirus and Mark Cavendish put into lockdown in his hotel room.
South Korean baseball league cancelled all 50 pre-season game which were slated to take place from March 14-24. It is the first time since the leagues inception in 1982 that an entire set of exhibition matches are off.
The first-stage draw for the Table Tennis World Championships, scheduled for South Korea from March 22-29, is postponed.
A beach volleyball tournament, due to be held in Yangzhou from April 22-26, is postponed until after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
World Short track speed skating championship in Seoul is cancelled.
Next month’s World Triathlon Series event in Abu Dhabi was postponed on Saturday as a precautionary measure.
The event was due to take place from March 5 to March 7 in the city, which has reported new cases of the virus.
Event organisers said they still hoped to reschedule the event to take place later in March or April.
The Women’s World Ice Hockey Championships, scheduled for Canada later this month, have been cancelled.
The NBA has also been suspended indefinitely after two Utah Jazz players contracted the virus. On Tuesday 17 March Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant confirmed he had tested positive for the virus alongside three unnamed team-mates.
The NHL has announced it has paused the 2019-20 season with no date confirmed for when it will resume.
The UFC has cancelled its next three events due to the coronavirus, although president Dana White is still pushing ahead for the highly-anticipated lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
All 72 pre-season baseball games in Japan are to take place behind closed doors
Impacted
The Japanese professional baseball league made the decision to play their 72 pre-season games behind closed doors until March 15. Baseball is among the most popular sports in Japan.
In an aid to decrease risks of exposure to the virus, the NBA have told players to avoid taking items such as pens, markers, balls and jerseys from autograph seekers.
In doubt
The South Korean baseball league regular season is in doubt ahead of the first round of matches on March 28. An emergency meeting has been called.
Doubts remain as the Asian weightlifting championships, scheduled for March, are relocated from Kazakhstan to neighbouring Uzbekistan. They could still be postponed.
