COVID-19 wrecks havoc on sporting events
The COVID-19 or simply the coronavirus has already made its presence felt in the various sectors. Most countries can already feel the presence in their markets. Be it the aviation sector or tourism, coronavirus has wrecked more havoc on the economic output than the number of people it has killed. Now the sports events are becoming a victim too. Let's analyze the various sporting events that got affected by this deadly virus, without killing anybody literally.
Football
One of the most famous sports league on the planet, the Premier League Football of England has been hit by the bombshell of COVID-19. All their games are postponed until the 4th of April. The manager of Arsenal Football Club, Mikel Arteta was tested positive earlier today. Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is among other footballers who found themselves tested positive for the virus as well. Along with the Premier League, the British League, Major League Soccer, Scottish Football, and La Liga have been suspended for a period of up to a month as well. Three Leicester players are under self-isolation after showing symptoms.Cricket
The ongoing Pakistan Super League will go ahead in front of empty stands. Some of the overseas players are planning to leave the tournament early. The game between Australia and New Zealand was played in front of empty stands as well earlier today. Everest Premier League, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League A, European Cricket Series, Australia Women's tour of South Africa, England's tour of Sri Lanka and Indian Premier League are all postponed up to a month. All the pre-season games and tours of English Counties has been cancelled. So far there's no news of any cricketer being tested positive. Kane Richardson of the Australian cricket team showed some symptoms earlier today but his tests turned out to be negative. Baseball
Major League Baseball has pushed back it's opening day for up to four weeks. The spring training games are all cancelled as well. Minor League Baseball, which servers as a feeder competition to the Major League has pushed back it's the opening day. So far there's no news of a player or official being affected with the virus though.Hockey
The CHL season has been postponed. Along with CHL, their feeder competitions like Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League have been postponed. The games of the National Hockey League of America have been suspended as well. UK's Elite League which represents the sport of Ice Hockey has cancelled the entire 2019-2020 season. Formula 1
The Bahrain and Vietnam Grand Prix were called off earlier today. Australian GP was called off earlier today. Two members of the Haas Formula 1 team are in self-isolation after being tested for COVID-19 back on March 11th. Cycling
The Six-Day Manchester which was about to take place this week has been cancelled. The final stage of the Paris-Nice race is cancelled as well. May's Giro D'Italia which was due to begin in Hungary has been cancelled too.Golf
The Players Championship which was going on in Florida has been cancelled. The PGA tour has been postponed until April. Earlier, the entry of fans was banned in PGA games yesterday. Tennis
None of the top players can be seen in action till the 20th of April as all the major tournaments have been cancelled until this date.
These are some major sports where the action has been suspended but the trouble is not limited just to these events. Other sports like Rugby, Darts and Curling are being badly hit by the outbreak of the coronavirus. In today's world, sports play a vital role in the economy of a country. They support tourism and event management sectors to some extent. The television ratings will be hit badly and the local sports bodies are going to lose millions in revenue as they are about to lose spectators on the ground. Also, this is heartbreaking for a big number of fans across the globe. Kids celebrate the spring holidays in a big part of the world these days and sports play a major role in their bid to refresh themselves but this year, coronavirus thought of having some fun for himself.
The loss because of COVID 19 is not limited only to sports events. But the author explained the various effects of this virus in the field of sports. Because of the changes in the sports calendar, there are many financial losses to many people. But saving the life of a human being is more important than any other issue. Hence they are taking all the precautions and cancelling or postponing the events in many sports not only at the international level but also at the national level also.
Except for some players and officials who are in the football field, nobody tested positive for this virus. But the figures are changing every moment and to what extent it may go is not known. Keeping this threat in mind cancelling all the events or postponing the events should be welcomed by all of us.