Daily Times

SYDNEY: The Players Championship golf event was halted after one round and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix scrapped as the unprecedented shutdown of elite sport triggered by the coronavirus pandemic continued around the globe on Friday. In a frenetic 24 hours, Europe’s leading soccer leagues were placed on hold, the top men’s tennis circuit was suspended for six weeks, the NHL shut down and cricket matches ordered to be played without fans. The Olympics, the biggest sports event of them all, will go ahead as planned, Tokyo organisers insisted on Friday, a few hours after the flame was lit in ancient Olympia at the start of the torch relay. The coronavirus outbreak has left sporting bodies wrestling with the contradiction of holding events designed to bring large numbers of people together at a time when governments are desperate to stop the spread of a virus transmitted by close contact. More events look likely to be affected in coming days, with Australia’s most popular sports set to be impacted by government advice against crowds of more than 500 people from Monday.