Sport events around the world postponed amid coronavirus

Los Angeles

Organizers of the 2020 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Sunday said the tournament would not take place "at this time" as sport continued to be affected by the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The California tournament "will not take place at this time due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and the safety of the participants and attendees at the event," organizers said in a statement to Deutsche press agency (dpa).

The tournament, the first ATP Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Mandatory event of the year, was set to kick off on Wednesday.

"The health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance," Tournament Director Tommy Haas said.

"We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options," he added.

The decision followed a confirmed coronavirus case in the Coachella Valley, which prompted the Riverside County Public Health Department to declare a public health emergency.

Earlier on Sunday the Bahrain Grand Prix said fans would not be allowed to attend the Formula One race, the latest Formula One race of the forthcoming 2020 season to be affected, with fans no longer admitted to what the organizers said would be a "participants-only event."

The race, set for March 22, is a week after the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne next Sunday. The Chinese Grand Prix from April 17-19 in Shanghai was postponed last month.

Italian team Ferrari said its first team members and equipment had already headed to Australia and that further departures would continue as normal unless they are told to desist.

The Lega Serie A played a first round of games behind closed doors amid criticism from the Italian footballers union (AIC) and Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora, who asked for a suspension of the league after the government tightened measures to subdue the coronavirus outbreak.

Six games were scheduled without spectators Sunday and Monday after being rescheduled from last weekend because of the spread of the virus.

Sunday's opener between Parma and SPAL kicked off 75 minutes late after Italy's sports minister requested the league be suspended with immediate effect.

But the day's fixtures went ahead, with the Italian football federation saying it would make a decision on Tuesday on whether to proceed with the league programme.

Prime Minister Conte on Sunday issued a decree that enacts quarantine in the Lombardy region and 14 provinces until April 3, prohibiting exit from the zones and limiting circulation and contacts within them for about 16 million people.

The decree confirmed measures taken last week that all sporting events in the country were to take place with no spectators admitted.

Football also continued in other major European leagues, but authorities are facing increased pressure to postpone fixtures or play behind closed doors amid calls to restrict public gatherings.

Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn on Sunday recommended cancelling events with more than 1,000 participants in an effort to reduce the number of coronavirus infections.

But the German Football League (DFL) said there was "no question" that the Bundesliga season would be played to its scheduled end in the middle of May.

The DFL will be seeking talks with the clubs, who will continue to coordinate closely with local authorities on match scheduling, DFL chief executive Christian Seifert said.

"Of course, the health of the population and therefore all football fans are a top priority. The goal must be to find the appropriate path between justified protection and excessive caution in different areas of life," he said.

RB Leipzig said that their Champions League last 16 second leg clash with Tottenham Hotspur on "was currently not endangered."

In Britain, sports governing bodies and broadcasters have been called to a government meeting on Monday to discuss the staging of events behind closed doors if the coronavirus outbreak worsens and mass gatherings are banned.

Elsewhere, the April 9-13 Prague Handball Cup, the biggest international handball tournament for youth players, was cancelled.

Other events held behind closed doors over the weekend were the Nordic skiing World Cup meet in Oslo and the biathlon World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.

The alpine skiing World Cup finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo scheduled later this month were cancelled on Friday.