Champions League, Roland-Garros, Tour de France, Euro football, Olympic Games… The summer of sport promised to be epic. With the containment measures linked to the coronavirus pandemic, competitions are canceled or postponed one after the other. A small note of hope in China, where it all started, the health situation is improving and sports competitions could resume next month.
- Many events are postponed or canceled in Europe and around the world
- For the moment the Tokyo Olympics are maintained
- The Chinese football championship could resume on April 18
The sports summer had everything to delight fans. Between the Olympic Games, the Euro football tournament and the traditional Tour de France, Roland-Garros or even the Champions League, sports fans had plenty to celebrate. It was without counting on the coronavirus. Containment measures affect the whole world and events are canceled one after the other. In China, where the epidemic started, the health situation is improving and gives rise to hopes of a rapid resumption of sports competitions.
Olympics for the moment maintained
The number 1 event of the summer is obviously the Olympic Games. The competition is scheduled in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9. For the moment, it is not cancelled. Yesterday, Tuesday March 17, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) assured that “there is no need to make drastic decisions”, implying a total postponement of the competition. “Everything is on track for the opening on July 24”, assured John Coates, who chairs the 2020 Olympics Coordination Commission, to the Australian press. Problem, only 57% of athletes are already qualified for the Olympics and the cancellation of almost all sports competitions in the world raises the question of selection criteria. “An increase in the quota of athletes will be considered on a case-by-case basis in exceptional circumstances, with the assistance of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee”, adds the IOC. Measures will be proposed by the international federations and communicated at the beginning of April. In this context, Kevin Mayer, the French decathlete world record holder, told the newspaper The Team want the postponement of the Olympics.
The football planet has stopped and all the championships are suspended for the moment. The Euro football, initially scheduled from June 11 to July 11, has already been postponed to next year. The Champions League and the Europa League, competitions between European clubs, are currently suspended. Regarding domestic competitions, in France, Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and the Women’s League are suspended “until further notice” while the English, Italian and German championships are stopped until April 3 (April 2 in Germany) and the Spanish Liga until March 22 minimum.
The Tour de France threatened
In rugby, the VI Nations tournament, in which France appears, is postponed to next October. The world of tennis has also stopped and Roland-Garros, the Grand Slam tournament at Porte d’Auteuil, has been postponed to next September. The men’s ATP Tour tournaments are suspended for six weeks until April 26, and for the WTA, the women’s circuit, tournaments are for now canceled until April 12.
The Tour de France, whose departure is due to take place on June 27 from the city of Nice, has not yet been officially postponed or canceled but its holding is strongly threatened. The Giro, the first Grand Tour of the year in Italy, is postponed. Regarding motorsports, the situation is the same. All upcoming races have been canceled or postponed. In Formula 1, the Grands Prix until April 19 are postponed, except for the Australian Grand Prix, the first round of the World Championship, which has been canceled. In motorcycles, the start of the season has been postponed by two months, from the beginning of March to May 3. The 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle, scheduled for April 18 and 19, has been postponed to September 5 and 6.
In China, sport is gradually resuming
Elsewhere in the world, sport has been put on hold. In the United States, the NBA is suspended for a minimum of one month but could well see its duration of suspension extended by an additional month. The baseball league (MLB) which was to resume on April 9 has also been postponed without knowing the official date of resumption. In Latin America, the Copa America, organized jointly by Argentina and Colombia, is also postponed to 2021. In Africa, the African Cup of Nations football should also be postponed to next year.
Small note of hope, in China, epicenter of the pandemic, sport is regaining its rights. The health situation has improved significantly over the past few days and has given rise to the idea of resuming sporting life. The Chinese Super League, the Chinese football championship, could resume on April 18. The clubs, exiled in Europe at the start of the epidemic, are now returning to train in the Middle Kingdom. This is the case of Wuhan Zall, the team from the city where the Covid-19 began to spread. Stopped since January due to the coronavirus epidemic, the basketball championship is expected to resume on April 15.
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