UNDATED (AP) \u2014 The already-delayed professional sports seasons in North America could be on hiatus for significantly longer than first planned.<\/p>\n
New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday night seem to suggest that sports in this country could for all intents and purposes be gone until May, if not later.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s twice as long as the 30-day shutdowns that the NBA, NHL and Major League Soccer decided to put into place last week. The league suspensions were in response to the global coronavirus pandemic that has already made a deep impact on the U.S. financial markets and has been blamed for at least 64 deaths in this country.<\/p>\n
Major League Baseball also was going with what essentially was a 30-day shutdown after canceling the rest of spring training and pushing back the start of regular season play for two weeks; Opening Day was to have been March 26.<\/p>\n
In other virus-related news: The leader of the IOC\u2019s coordination commission for the Tokyo Olympics says there is no May deadline to cancel the games and he remains confident the event will go ahead despite sports coming to a virtual standstill globally amid the coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n
John Coates, who will have to go into government-mandated self-isolation when he returns to Australia this week from Olympic business in Europe, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper: \u201cIt\u2019s all proceeding to start on the 24th of July.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Greece\u2019s Olympic committee says the handover ceremony for the Olympic flame for the Tokyo games scheduled this Thursday will take place behind closed doors as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Greek health authorities have warned all people to stay at home, and have shut restaurants, bars and cafes, ski resorts, hair salons and movie theaters to curb the virus. Greece currently has 331 confirmed cases and four deaths.<\/p>\n
\u2014 A New York Yankees minor league prospect has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Yankees didn\u2019t identify the player, who is the first known player affiliated with Major League Baseball to contract COVID-19. The team said the player had spent his entire time at the minor league complex in Tampa, Florida, and hadn\u2019t been over at the main stadium and facilities used by the major leaguers.<\/p>\n
\u2014 NCAA vice president of men\u2019s basketball Dan Gavitt says brackets won\u2019t be created for the NCAA men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball tournaments that were canceled due to coronavirus concerns. The men\u2019s NCAA Tournament field had been scheduled to be announced on Sunday. Gavitt says there\u2019s not an authentic way to produce tournament fields and brackets at this point without speculating. College basketball\u2019s showcase was canceled Thursday. That led to suggestions from coaches and athletic directors to release brackets for the event even though it won\u2019t happen this year.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The Marlins became the first organization to completely close their complex, sending players home from Jupiter, Florida. The Rangers followed suit, closing down their camp in Arizona.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Major League Soccer has extended the moratorium on team training through Friday. MLS announced a 30-day suspension of match play on Thursday because of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The Seattle Sounders say a member of the team\u2019s support staff is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. The MLS team says the individual did not have access to the general public and \u201conly had access to the team in controlled areas during the game.\u201d The team said no players or coaches have reported having any symptoms related to the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The Texas racetrack that hosts the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix and other motor racing series announced it is closing indefinitely after a series of cancellations because of concerns about the coronavirus. The Circuit of the Americas \u2014 in Austin \u2014 was supposed to host the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas on April 5 and the IndyCar Challenge on April 26. Both races have been canceled.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority says all of the ski areas and venues that it manages have suspended operation. Closures include all Nordic and Alpine ski resorts including Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort in the Catskills, Gore Mountain in North Creek and Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, near Lake Placid. All Lake Placid Olympic sites will also be closing, including the Olympic Jumping Complex, Olympic Sports Complex, The Olympic Oval and the Olympic Center including its museum and retail shops.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Professional soccer is shutting down in Mexico following Sunday\u2019s matches, which were already being played with no fans present as a precaution due to the new coronavirus. The measure applies to the men\u2019s top flight and second division as well as the fledgling women\u2019s league. Soccer officials said in a statement that the suspension would remain in effect until it\u2019s determined that it\u2019s safe to restart play in coordination with Mexico\u2019s Health Department.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Brazil\u2019s soccer confederation has suspended all competitions under its control due to the coronavirus outbreak. The tournaments affected include the men\u2019s Brazilian Cup, the top two tiers of the women\u2019s Brazilian championship, and junior tournaments. The men\u2019s top-tier Brazilian championship is scheduled to begin in April. The decision does not affect state championships currently being played. Some matches were held without any fans this weekend in S\u00e3o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. S\u00e3o Paulo, Rio and other state soccer bodies are set to decide Monday on their course of action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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