Sports leagues and federations across the world are addressing the spread of the coronavirus.
While most North American sports leagues, including Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL are monitoring the situation, leagues in other parts of the world are taking action by canceling events and playing in empty stadiums.
Los Angeles County officials have discussed the possibility of banning spectators from attending sporting events in Southern California in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Here is a sport-by-sport look at what leagues and federations are doing to address the COVID-19 outbreak:
United States
NBA: In a memo sent to teams Sunday, the league and the NBA Players’ Assn. stated they are “closely monitoring the coronavirus situation” and are in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The memo also recommended that players avoid giving high-fives with interacting with fans and avoid borrowing pens and markers from fans requesting autographs. No plans have been made to cancel games or bar fans from attending. In a statement, Staples Center encouraged fans who are planning to attend events at the arena to “engage in safe hygiene practices” and “stay home if they feel unwell.”
MLB: The league has established an internal task force to deal with issues related to coronavirus in the coming months, according to a memo sent to high-ranking baseball officials Tuesday obtained by ESPN. Baseball has no plans to cancel or ban fans from attending games. The memo advises players not to shake hands with fans and not use pens and markers from fans to sign autographs. It also asks teams to make sure all players have received the 2019-20 flu vaccine and other necessary vaccinations.
NFL: NFL Media reported Tuesday that the league is “closely monitoring developments” related to coronavirus and that it is still planning to hold the NFL draft in Las Vegas on April 23-25. In addition, individual pro days for draft-eligible players will begin as scheduled on Thursday. The NFL’s annual meeting, which is attended by team owners, general managers and coaches, is still scheduled to be held March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla.
NHL: Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday that the league is monitoring the coronavirus outbreak but declined to say whether games could be altered, canceled or rescheduled. He also wouldn’t speculate on whether the league would consider playing in empty arenas or postponing the playoffs. All NHL employees have been barred from traveling outside North America for business purposes. Scouts based in Europe have to stay in Europe or be quarantined upon arriving in North America, Bettman said. Switzerland’s national hockey league has suspended the playing of games from March 2-15.
NCAA: The college athletics sanctioning body says it is monitoring the outbreak but that it has no plans to make changes for the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. “The NCAA is committed to conducting its championships and events in a safe and responsible manner,” Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief operating officer, said in a statement Tuesday. “Today we are planning to conduct our championships as planned; however, we are evaluating the covid-19 situation daily and will make decisions accordingly.” Missouri-Kansas City and Chicago State announced they are canceling trips to Seattle for scheduled Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball games this week. USC announced all athletic events are being played as scheduled.
MLS: The league has created a task force to monitor the coronavirus outbreak. Sports teams in Los Angeles County, including the Galaxy and LAFC, have been warned they may be asked to cancel games or play them in empty stadiums after the county declared a health emergency Wednesday to deal with the coronavirus. “This could be that games are played but there are no spectators,” L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said. “This could be that there are limits to how people are going to gather... But I want to reassure everyone we are not there today.”
XFL: The league announced it has launched a task force to closely monitor the spread of the coronavirus. It is also in regular contact with health and public safety officials at the national and local levels. No games have been postponed or canceled.
NASCAR: In a statement released Wednesday, NASCAR said its racing schedule and business operations remain unchanged as it monitors the outbreak. It said it has been in communication with federal, state and local health officials in addition to teams and tracks.
IndyCar: The racing league’s sanctioning body said in a statement Wednesday that it is closely monitoring the situation but does not expect any changes to its season opener, which takes place in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 15.
PGA: The PGA Tour announced Wednesday that it has no plans to alter its schedule beyond changes that have already been made with the PGA Tour-Series China (delayed start to season). That could change, the league said, if the CDC and the World Health Organization make recommendations.
LPGA: The league has canceled three events in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Events scheduled in Thailand and Singapore were canceled last month, and the Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island in China, which was originally scheduled to be played Thursday-Sunday, is also off the LPGA calendar. Their next event, the Founders Cup, is set to be played as scheduled at Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix from March 19-22.
Santa Anita (horse racing): The Arcadia-based horse racing track said in a statement Wednesday that it is monitoring the situation and is “taking procedures necessary for the health and safety and well-being of our fans, staff and horsemen, including adding numerous hand-sanitizing stations throughout the facility.”
L.A. Marathon: The Los Angeles Marathon will run as scheduled on March 8, race officials announced. Marathon organizers are offering a deferral option to runners traveling from impacted countries allowing them to delay their participation until next year.
WWE: Over the April 5 weekend, travelers from all over the world will descend on Tampa, Fla., for WWE’s WrestleMania weekend, which should draw well over 100,000 people. According to the WWE, “The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay. We remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, and like other entertainment properties in the U.S., there are currently no plans to cancel or postpone our upcoming events.”
International
International Olympic Committee (Tokyo 2020 Olympics): No plans have been made to reschedule or cancel the Olympics, scheduled for July 24-Aug. 9. “We remain very confident with regard to the success of these Olympic Games,” IOC President Thomas Bach said Tuesday. The IOC has formed a task force that includes representatives from the World Health Organization, the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and the Japanese government to monitor the situation.
Premier League: The English league has informed its clubs of a contingency plan should large gatherings be banned because of the coronavirus spread. In the meantime, the league has advised teams to pay increased attention to hygiene at stadiums and training grounds, reduce the number of nonessential visitors to team facilities and minimize any face-to-face meetings.
Bundesliga: The German Football League, which operates Bundesliga, said in a statement last week that it is monitoring the situation but wasn’t considering postponing matches at that point. FC Bayern Munich has advised its players to refrain from signing autographs and posing for selfies with fans.
Ligue 1: The French league is altering its pregame routines due to the coronavirus. Handshakes among players, coaches and officials are prohibited until further notice. Players will continue to be escorted to the field by youth players but will hold the youngsters by the shoulder, rather than by hand as is customary.
Serie A: Italy has closed all sporting events to the general public until April 3 amid a coronavirus outbreak in the country. The Italian soccer league postponed games on its schedule this week but is expected to resume this weekend, according to the Associated Press. More than 100 people have died in Italy, and more than 3,000 have been infected with COVID-19.
WTA: The Kunming Open, which was scheduled for April 27-May 3 in Anning, China, has been canceled. The Xi’an Open in China from April 13-19 also has been canceled. The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is still scheduled to begin March 11. “We are closely watching the developments with the coronavirus. We remain very positive about this year’s BNP Paribas Open and look forward to welcoming everyone to Indian Wells very soon,” BNP Paribas Open tournament officials said in a statement.
ATP: Two events in China were canceled and another event in Italy was called off last month amid coronavirus concerns. No other events have been canceled or rescheduled.
Korean and Japanese baseball leagues: The Japanese baseball league announced last week that it has barred fans from attending exhibition games. The South Korean league canceled its exhibition games. Neither league has committed to starting their regular seasons as scheduled — March 20 in Japan, March 28 in South Korea.
Formula One: Ross Brawn, Formula One’s managing director, said races remain scheduled for Australia and Bahrain in March and Vietnam in April, but said the situation could change. “It’s a very serious situation, so I don’t want to underplay it,” Brawn told Reuters on Tuesday. “But we’re trying to have races. We’ve got to do them in a responsible way.” Formula One earlier postponed the Chinese Grand Prix, which was originally scheduled for April 19.
MotoGP: The Qatar Grand Prix in Doha, which was scheduled for Sunday, has been canceled.
Times staff writers Chuck Schilken, Kevin Baxter, Soumya Karlamangla, Jeff Miller, Helene Elliott, Houston Mitchell and Bill Shaikin contributed to this report.
