It is 100 days since Dr Li Wenliang posted in a social media group about a SARS-like illness that within weeks would explode into the coronavirus pandemic. While many thousands of lives have been lost and the world is in unprecedented states of lockdown and isolation, the global sporting calendar has also been left in tatters. With no sign yet of a resumpiont of action that could give us all hope that a return to normal life may not be faraway, here is a look at how the events unfolded in the world of sport and all the steps taken to combat the pandemic.
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January 22: As Chinese authorities advised people in the city of 11 million people not to leave Wuhan, the first domestic football matches in China are postponed, although the top-flight league campaign has yet to start. The International Olympic Committee cancels Olympic boxing qualifiers due to take place in Wuhan. Olympic women’s football qualifiers moved from Wuhan to Nanjing
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January 26: The International Tennis Federation moves the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I event featuring China, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Uzbekistan out of Dongguan to Kazakhstan. The event is then moved again to Dubai.
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January 29: The World Athletics Indoor Championships, scheduled for Nanjing from 13-15 March, are postponed until next year. The Chinese women’s Olympic football qualification play-off against South Korea in March is switched to Sydney. Badminton's China Masters in Hainan, scheduled to start on February 25, is postponed after several players withdraw. Snooker's China Open in Beijing, due to take place from March 30 to April 5 is postponed.
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February 2: Formula E racing series cancels event in Sanya for March 21. ACL matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG are postponed until April.
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February 9: The Honda LPGA Thailand event in Pattaya, Thailand, scheduled for Feb 20 to 23, and the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, which was meant to begin the following week are postponed. Vietnam said it would not allow sports events to be hosted in February, meaning home AFC Cup group stage matches for Ho Chi Minh City and Than Quang Ninh are switched to away fixtures.
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February 12: The Chinese Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai, due to take place on April 19, is postponed. The PGA Tour Series-China postpones two qualifying tournaments and delays the start of its 2020 season by two months.
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February 14: Fiba Asia Cup basketball matches involving Japan, China, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia are postponed. The European Tour’s Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open, both scheduled for April, are halted. The Singapore and Hong Kong Rugby Sevens are postponed from April until October.
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February 23: As the virus begins to take hold in Italy, selected Serie A matches in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto are postponed. Scotland's Women’s Six Nations rugby match with Italy is postponed.
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February 25: Japan’s J-League postpones all domestic football games until the middle of March. Five Serie A matches are ordered to be played behind closed doors. Ferrari restricts access to its factory in northern Italy. A defiant International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound says preparations for the Tokyo Games in July are “business as usual”. Six Nations officials says they are “monitoring” the situation in Italy, where England are due to play on March 14. Ireland's Six Nations game in Italy on March 7 postponed.
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February 27: The UAE Tour cycling race is cancelled with two stages remaining after two Italian team members test positive for coronavirus. Switzerland postpones all matches in top two football divisions.
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March 1: The Serie A match between Sampdoria and Hellas Verona is postponed because of the outbreak in Italy. The opening MotoGP of the season in Qatar on March 8 is off due to travel restrictions on Italians.
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March 2: The Swiss Football League is suspended until March 23 and summer's International Champions Cup. The season’s second MotoGP, set for Thailand on March 22, is cancelled.
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March 3: Events begin to fall thick and fast as the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup, which was set to take place in Al Ain from March 11, is cancelled. Italian Cup semi-final second leg between Juventus and AC Milan in Turin called off. The second World Superbikes race of the season in Qatar, due from March 13-15, is postponed. Olympic climbing test event in Tokyo to be held without athletes. Organisers said Tokyo 2020 staff would take the place of athletes. ATP cancels or postpones six tournaments on Challenger Tour. WTA's Kunming Open cancelled.
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March 4: All sport in Italy, including Six Nations matches in Rome and all Serie A games, will be played behind closed doors until April 3. Badminton's Asia Championships, scheduled for April 21-26, are moved to the Philippines from China. Cycing's Team Ineos withdraws from all races until March 23 because of the death of sporting director Nicolas Portal. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says there was no talk of cancellation of Tokyo 2020 at an executive board meeting.
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March 5: The Rome Marathon, due for March 29, postponed until 2021, while the Paris Marathon, due to take place on April 5, is rescheduled for October. The International Paralympic Committee announces a review of qualifying for Tokyo 2020 due to cancellation of events, but the Games will go ahead “as planned”. Valencia’s Champions League last-16 tie at home to Atalanta will be played behind closed doors. The Premier League in England bans pre-match handshakes. The Mena Golf Tour postpones the rest of this season’s tournaments until September. Six Nations games against Italy across the weekend of March 14-15 are postponed.
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March 6: Saudi Arabia suspends public attendance at all sports events starting. Cycling classic Milan-San Remo, scheduled for March 21, is postponed. Paris St-Germain’s league fixture at Strasbourg is postponed. The Rome E-Prix, scheduled for April 4, is postponed. The European Tour’s Kenya Open is postponed. The Gymnastics World Cup event in Doha, Qatar, from March 18-21 will be held behind closed doors. Scotland women rugby player contracts coronavirus.
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March 9: Italian prime minister announces suspension of all sport until April 3 at earliest. Japan pushes back beginning of professional baseball league season. Lancashire call off pre-season trips to Dubai and South Africa. Europa League matches including Olympiakos v Wolves and Sevilla v Roma will take place behind closed doors. March and June Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in 2022 are postponed. Paris St-Germain’s Champions League last-16 match against Borussia Dortmund to be played behind closed doors. Six Nations match between France and Ireland, scheduled for March 14, is postponed.
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March 10: Events begin falling hourly rather than daily as the Italian football federation fears Serie A season may not finish. European matches including Chelsea’s Champions League match at Bayern Munich on March 18, and Manchester United's Europa League game in Austria will be played behind closed doors. Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis contracts coronavirus. Euro 2020 play-offs postponed. Japan’s J League is suspended. Two World Rowing Cupsdue to be held in Italy between April and May are cancelled. Rugby League game between Catalans Dragons and Leeds Rhinos will take place behind closed doors. April’s ITTF World Tour Japan Open is postponed.
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March 11: NBA suspends season “until further notice”. Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. Manchester City’s Premier League match with Arsenal is postponed and several Gunners players put into self-isolation. Juventus announces defender Daniele Rugani tested positive for coronavirus. The Europa League ties between Sevilla and Roma in Spain and Inter Milan’s match against Getafe on March 12 are postponed. Seattle Sounders against FC Dallas on 21 March in the MLS is postponed.
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March 12: The NHL's San Jose Sharks announced that an employee at the SAP Center tested positive for coronavirus. PGA Tour announces that it will cancel the remainder of The Players Championship, as well as all tournaments until the Valero Texas Open, which was slated for April 2-5. UFC President Dana White announces UFC Brasilia will occur without fans. Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi tests positive for coronavirus, but is “doing well”. Formula 1 cancels the Australian Grand Prix just before it was due to begin. Arsenal confirm manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus. MLB cancels spring training Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell confirms he has coronavirus. The NHL suspends the 2019-20 season effective from Thursday.
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March 13: Football in top leagues in England, Scotland, Germany, Italy and France are all suspended. Many more major events are called off including the Masters golf tournament at Augusta, the Indian Premier League cricket event, the Boston Marathon, the London Marathon, NASCAR events at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Formula 1 also postpones upcoming races in Bahrain (March 20-22) and Vietnam (April 3-5). The
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March 15: NBA owners and executives believe a best-case scenario for resuming season is returning to play in mid-to-late June with no fans. Mexico’s top soccer league announces the indefinite suspension of all games. Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert posts a video update thanking everybody for their “positive energy” and saying he has been “feeling a little better every single day”.
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March 16: The NFL postpones offseason training activities indefinitely and implements rules stating teams cannot bring free agents to club facilities. NASCAR postpones races until May 3 but plans to hold all 36 scheduled races this year. UFC President Dana White says all events until April 11 have been indefinitely postponed. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirms season will not start on time.
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March 17: Major day as Euro 2020, Copa America and French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros are all postponed. The Ottawa Senators announce a player tested positive for the coronavirus - the NHL's first case. Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant confirms he has tested positive. PGA Tour postpones the PGA Championship, the second major of the season. Juventus announced midfielder Blaise Matuidi also positive. Cristiano Ronaldo goes into isolation.
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March 21: Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz dies from COVID-19. He was 76 years old. Juventus forward Paulo Dybala announces both he and his girlfriend, Oriana Sabatini, have tested positive. Ottawa Senators announce a second player has tested positive Premier League rivals Manchester City and Manchester United announced they’ve teamed up to donate £100,000 to help vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic.
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March 22: The Dubai World Cup, meant to be held at Meydan Racecourse on March 28, is called off. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the 2020 Summer Olympics could be postponed.
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March 23: International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound says the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be postponed and are likely going to take place in 2021. Uefa announced the Champions League final, Europa League final and Women’s Champions League final, which were all scheduled to take place in May, have been postponed. La Liga will not resume its 2019-20 season until the Spanish government confirms matches can be played “without creating any health risk”.
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March 26: The US Open is postponed from its originally scheduled dates of June 18-21. NFL draft will go ahead as scheduled from April 23-25. Colorado Avalanche player tests positive for COVID-19. IndyCar Series announced the GMR Grand Prix has been rescheduled for July 4 and the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 has been moved from May 24 to August 23.
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March 30: The International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced the Olympic Games will take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Paralympic Games will take place from August 24 to September 5, 2021. Barcelona star Lionel Messi said the team’s players will take 70 per cent wage cuts and make other contributions to help the club’s workers during Spain’s state of emergency.
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April 1: Uefa suspends Champions League, Europa League indefinitely. All internationals, including Euro 2020 play-off matches, also called off. Wimbledon cancelled, joining tennis' French open on the sidelines,
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April 7: Dana White announces UFC 249 will go ahead on schedule with the new headliner being an interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola's 82-year-old mother passes away of COVID-19
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