The Latest: Churchill Downs’ spring meet to open May 16
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:
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Churchill Downs’ spring meet without spectators will open May 16, with the historic track expected to release a revised schedule of stakes races online this weekend.
Last weekend’s scheduled opening was delayed because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, which already has forced the postponement of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby from this weekend to Sept. 4-5.
The track's new opening will come five days after its stables and training center reopen in phases following approval Wednesday from state officials with strict guidelines to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
Racing will be conducted Thursdays through Sundays with a Memorial Day card on May 25. The meet will be spectator-free until government officials approve their return.
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The Green Bay Packers have donated $250,000 to Green Bay-area health care systems to provide personal protective equipment for doctors, nurses and staff working in the fight against the new coronavirus.
This donation includes $83,333 grants to the Bellin Health Foundation, HSHS St. Vincent/St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation, and Aurora Health Foundation.
The donation is part of the Packers' Give Back COVID-19 Community Relief Fund. The $1.5 million fund will provide $1 million in support to Brown County, which includes Green Bay. It also will direct $500,000 to initiatives in Milwaukee County.
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This year’s Little League World Series and the championship tournaments in six other Little League divisions have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Little League President Stephen Keener announced the cancellations in a Facebook Live broadcast Thursday afternoon from league headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, saying it would be “impossible” to hold the events amid ongoing restrictions on large gatherings and travel.
The Little League World Series has been held every August since 1947 and has never been canceled. Next year was to be the 75th playing of the tournament; that milestone has been pushed back to 2022.
Keener added that travel restrictions would make it equally impossible to hold qualifying tournaments for international teams and to bring those teams safely to the United States.
The annual major league game in Williamsport, which this year was to feature the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 23, has also been canceled, MLB said.
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Portugal’s government says the country’s soccer league will be allowed to resume on May 30 following a stoppage forced by the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister António Costa included the announcement in Thursday’s presentation of his government’s plan to roll back lockdown measures.
Costa said the resumption of play still depends on health authorities approving measures to make stadiums meet hygiene conditions.
The games will be played without fans.
Porto leads Benfica by one point at the top of the standings.
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Red Sox fans can still have their messages posted on the scoreboard at Fenway Park — even though the ballpark is closed and no games are taking place.
For a $50 donation to the team’s charity, fans can have a message posted on the 40-by-100 foot center field video board. For $100, they can have a message and a picture. The team will take a picture and send a picture of the scoreboard bearing the message.
The money will go to the Red Sox Foundation, which has been maintaining operations and programming during the coronavirus crisis to ensure consistent and necessary support and resources to hundreds of other non-profits and youth throughout New England.
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The Dodgers will soon give fans an account credit for home games scheduled in March and April.
The team hasn’t announced any plans for fans who have tickets to games later in the season.
The Dodgers were supposed to open the season on March 26; however, the start of baseball was postponed by the new coronavirus.
Dodger Stadium is set to host the All-Star Game in July. Officially, it has not been canceled, which the team noted in its information for fans.
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The Canucks for Kids Fund is donating $500,000 to Vancouver-area groups to help provide critical community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money will be used to provide meals and care for seniors, youth and families, cleaning, security, emergency shelter, child care, and drop-in counseling sessions by voice, video and chat.
Groups receiving money include Feeding the Community, Greater Vancouver Food Bank, BC Care Providers Association, Senior Services Society of BC, Canucks Family Education Centre, Mackie’s Place, Foundry, YWCA, and Kids Help Phone.
Fans are also invited to participate if they can by donating online.
The Kids Fund normally dedicates its resources to assist charities which support children’s health and wellness, foster the development of grassroots hockey, and facilitate and encourage education in British Columbia.
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German chancellor Angela Merkel says a decision on whether the country’s soccer league can resume amid the coronavirus pandemic has been pushed back to Wednesday.
Soccer authorities had been hoping to receive the go-ahead to resume league games without fans as early as May 9.
Merkel met with the country’s 16 state governors and warned there is still a danger that numbers of COVID-19 infections could rise if strict containment measures are relaxed too soon.
Merkel says “we have to do all we can to ensure there is no regression.”
A ban on all large gatherings through the end of August will remain.
The Bundesliga was suspended on March 13 with nine rounds remaining.
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The Falmouth Road Race will go on as an “At-Home Edition.”
The 48th edition of the seven-mile run that usually winds along the Cape Cod seashore in Massachusetts will instead have participants running 7 miles in their own neighborhoods at some point in a two-week period at the end of August. The race was originally scheduled for Aug. 16, but the Town of Falmouth has implemented a “no large event” policy through the end of August because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Race organizers are buying $25,000 in gift cards to local businesses to hand out randomly to participants. The first 5,000 to register get guaranteed entry into the 2021 race.
First run in 1973, the Falmouth Road Race typically draws a field from Olympians to recreational runners. Past winners have included Boston Marathon champions Joan Benoit Samuelson, Bill Rodgers, Catherine Ndereba and Olympic marathon gold medalist Frank Shorter.
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Paris Saint-Germain has been declared French league champion after the soccer season ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The move follows the French government’s decision to call off the soccer and rugby leagues in the country because of the virus.
The top two divisions in French soccer had 10 rounds of matches left to play. PSG led second-place Marseille by 12 points and played one game less.
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A new women’s soccer season has started in Belarus after it was initially delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The season started with a game between Dynamo-BGUFK and the Belarus national under-19 team. The under-19 team competes in the league alongside club squads.
Fans were allowed to attend the game for free but fewer than 100 were in the stands at the stadium in Minsk.
Belarus is the only country in Europe playing professional soccer during the pandemic. The men’s league started last month and the women’s league had been scheduled to start on April 16 but was delayed by two weeks because of suspicions that players had contact with people who had the virus.
Belarus national soccer federation spokesman Alexander Aleinik tells The Associated Press that “tests did not confirm the virus for any of the players.”
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British boxing’s governing body says it hopes fights can be staged from July.
The British Boxing Board of Control says events would likely be held without fans initially and with an emphasis on “minimal numbers” of officials and broadcast personnel.
Anyone at the events will have to have been in pre-fight quarantine and had tests for COVID-19. There will initially be a maximum of five contests in a show.
The BBBofC says it continues to follow advice from government and medical authorities.
The biggest fight that could take place in Britain in July is Anthony Joshua’s defense of his world heavyweight belts against Kubrat Pulev in London.
The fight was initially scheduled for June 20 but was postponed. It could now be held on July 25.
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Germany is beginning to roll out coronavirus testing at soccer clubs in the top two men’s leagues in the hope of resuming the season next month.
The German league tells news agency DPA the tests will start immediately.
The Bundesliga’s plan to resume in May rests on regular testing for players. That is likely to be before they resume full-team training and before each game.
Thousands of tests will be needed to complete the season. That has fueled criticism that the plan wastes resources. The vice president of Germany’s public health institute said last week testing should be focused on people who have symptoms or were linked to an outbreak.
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Paris Saint-Germain says there is “nothing official” but didn’t deny that it was about to be declared French league champion.
The French season ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic and sports daily L’Équipe says on its website that a decision on the league standings was expected to be ratified by the LFP’s board of directors.
The French government called off soccer and rugby leagues in the country on Tuesday and ended plans to resume.
The top two divisions in French soccer had 10 rounds of matches left to play. PSG led second-place Marseille by 12 points and played one game less. Marseille stands to qualify directly for the Champions League while third-place Rennes would enter the qualifying rounds.
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The Diamond League track meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, won’t happen as scheduled on Aug. 20.
Organizers of the Athletissima say they are now looking at “alternative options and formats that could still be considered in order to offer athletes the possibility to compete.”
Switzerland’s government has prohibited gatherings of more than 1,000 people until the end of August.
Athletissima organizers say “it is currently impossible to allow a high number of people to gather in a confined area.”
The first eight track meets on the Diamond League circuit have been postponed. Lausanne was the fifth in order of the seven left on the calendar.
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The Italian sports minister says the government will create an economic safety net if it orders the Serie A soccer season to be shut down.
Vincenzo Spadafora says if the season isn’t allowed to resume “we will assume responsibility so that soccer ... has the least damage possible. Because it’s worth remembering that soccer is a big industry in our country.”
But Spadafora is still leaving open the possibility that teams can resume training if sports and government officials agree on a proper health protocol. He says resuming training “will have a positive effect on the possible resumption of the season.”
Spadafora adds that if the protocol can’t be agreed on “the government will declare the end of the season.”
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The French soccer league has launched a lottery to help raise funds for hospitals and medical staff dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Fans have a chance to win a signed jersey in exchange for an online donation of 5 euros ($5.40) to the “Tous Unis contre le Virus” (All United against the Virus) campaign.
French champion Paris Saint-Germain’s jersey is co-signed by Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani.
Dimitri Payet was one of France’s best players when the team reached the 2016 European Championship final and he has signed the Marseille jersey. Houssem Aouar signed Lyon’s jersey.
The French league says 2 million euros ($2.2 million) has already been raised through previous fundraising in French soccer.
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