Coronavirus: Italy brings sport to a halt, Six Nations stuck in limbo

Coronavirus continues to have a huge impact on the sporting calendar. 

Further measures to prevent the spread of the virus were taken on Monday, affecting a plethora of sports and leagues.

More events were subject to postponements, while the sight of games taking place in empty arenas will be a common one in the coming weeks.

Here we look at the sporting decisions announced on Monday as the world attempts to tackle the outbreak.

Italy – All sporting activity in Italy was suspended until April 3 by the country’s Olympic Committee, in a decision pending government ratification. In a statement, the committee conceded it does not have jurisdiction over international competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League.

France – Ligue 1 games are now required to be played behind closed doors or with a limit of 1,000 fans until April 15. Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League last-16 second-leg clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday will be contested behind closed doors at the Parc des Princes.

France – The Six Nations finale between France and Ireland, due to take place at the Stade de France on Saturday, is postponed. England’s game with Italy was already off, meaning it is unclear when the winner of the competition will be determined. Scotland’s game with Wales in Cardiff is on, and Gregor Townsend’s men can move into first place with a win. England and France are level on 13 points, with Ireland on nine having seen two games postponed.

United States – The ATP’s Indian Wells Masters and WTA’s Indian Wells Open were both cancelled following a confirmed case of the virus in Riverside County, California.

United States – According to ESPN, the NBA is to hold a conference call with the 30 team owners and governors to discuss the next steps for how it handles the spread of the virus in the USA, where there have been 213 confirmed cases.

Asia – FIFA confirmed the AFC qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, which were scheduled to take place in the international windows of March 23-31 and June 1-9, have been postponed.

Switzerland – Basel announced on Monday that the second leg of their Europa League tie with Eintracht Frankfurt, set to be contested on March 19, cannot be played at their St Jakob Park home due to coronavirus-related restrictions. Switzerland’s top-flight, the Super League, is suspended until March 23.

Japan – The postponement of the start of the Nippon Professional Baseball regular season was confirmed at a media conference on Monday.

United States – IndyCar is not expecting any impact on its 2020 schedule as a result of the outbreak.

France – Rugby League side Catalans Dragons are waiting for an official decision from the Perpignan prefecture or government regarding Saturday’s Super League game with Leeds Rhinos after the country’s ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

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