By Dayo Mustapha
The COVID-19 pandemic has cost so much havocs to the sporting world. The stadia are empty and many turned to isolation centres.
Television rights and broadcasts have been severely affected. Sportsmen and women have taken pay cuts and are idly training at home.
Here is a list of sporting activities cancelled or suspended owing to the pandemic: and
- 2020 Wimbledon tennis championships
The 2020 Wimbledon tennis championships have been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the All England Club announced on Wednesday.
It is the first time the championships due to take place between June 28 and July 11, have been called off since World War II.
- PGA Tour cancels events as the Masters postpones
The tour was also cancelled in the coming weeks through the Valero Texas Open (March 30 to April 5), it said in a statement.
“We have pledged from the start to be responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process,” the Tour said.
“We did everything possible to create a safe environment for our players in order to continue the event throughout the weekend, and we were endeavoring to give our fans a much-needed respite from the current climate.”
- NBA decides to suspend season
The National Basketball Association announced it would suspend its season after a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus.
Initially, the NBA postponed the Jazz’s game against Oklahoma Thunder before it announced it would suspend the rest of the season after Wednesday night’s games.
“The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic,” the NBA said in a statement
- UFC postpones next three fights
The Ultimate Fighting Championship postponed its three events, which were scheduled to take place March 21, 28 and April 11, according to UFC President Dana White. The March 21 fight was scheduled to be in London, but was postponed because of travel restrictions between the US and United Kingdom.
The March 28 and April 11 fights were scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, according to UFC’s website.
The April 18 fight is still set to take place in Brooklyn, New York. White said he will look at relocating it, including moving it outside of the US, if necessary.
- WWE to hold WrestleMania without fans
World Wrestling Entertainment announced Monday that it has decided to hold WrestleMania without fans. WrestleMania is WWE’s biggest event of the year.
Tens of thousands of passionate wrestling fans were expected to fill the Raymond James Stadium in Florida on April 5. Now, the event will be held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando with only essential personnel.
- The Boston Marathon gets postponed
The Boston Marathon has been postponed until September 14, Mayor Marty Walsh said Friday. It was scheduled to take place on April 20.
“Our expectation and the hope right now is that this date will get us to a safer place in relation to the spread of the coronavirus,” Walsh said.
“On matters of public health and safety we take our guidance from the officials entrusted with protecting the public in this area,” CEO Tom Grilk said. “We understand our role, along with our partners, in ensuring a safe environment for all participants, volunteers, spectators, and supporters that meets the standards set by those officials.”
- MLB calls off spring training, delays season
Major League Baseball will cancel its remaining spring training schedule and delay Opening Day — scheduled for March 26 — back by at least two weeks, the league said Thursday.
“Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our players, employees and fans,” the league said in a statement. “MLB will continue to undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by public health experts. We send our best wishes to all individuals and communities that have been impacted by coronavirus.”
- 2020 African Nations Championship
On 17 March 2020, CAF announced that the 2020 African Nations Championship had been postponed to a later date due to the pandemic.
- 2020 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Play-off matches between South Korea and China in the 2020 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament were also postponed.
- CONCACAF Champions League
On March 12, 2020, the CONCACAF Champions League was suspended with immediate effect
2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships
The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships were scheduled to be held from 13 to 15 March in Nanjing, China, but were postponed until March 2021.
- 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships
The 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships was scheduled to be held on 29 March in Gdynia, Poland, but was postponed until October 2020.
- 2020 Diamond League
The first three events of the 2020 Diamond League, scheduled to be held in Qatar in April, followed by two events in China in May, were postponed until later in the year
- MotoGP World Championship
The MotoGP World Championship cancelled the opening round of the 2020 championship in Qatar. The Moto2 and Moto3 support categories raced in the country. Planned events in the United States, Argentina and Thailand were also postponed
