The NBA's decision to suspend their season after a player tested positive for the coronavirus yesterday appears to have had a domino effect on other sports in the past 24 hours with plenty more tournaments and games now cancelled or on hold.
The NBA shut down its season yesterday after Utah Jazz all star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. It has since been revealed teammate Donovan Mitchell has also tested positive.
That call has since seen Major League Soccer in the US also opt to suspend its competition, shutting down for 30 days for the safety of fans and players.
"Our clubs were united today in the decision to temporarily suspend our season — based on the advice and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Agency of Canada and other public health authorities," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement this morning.
The NHL also confirmed this morning it has paused its season, saying they don't plan to return until an "appropriate" time.
ESPN reports Major League Baseball will also confirm they have suspended operations indefinitely later today, meaning all of the major American sports leagues in season will be on hold due to the virus.
Outside the US, the Champions League has postponed two of their matches, one of which is the high-profile match between Manchester City and Real Madrid. Juventus' home match against Lyon was also suspended. No dates have been arranged.
Juventus is currently dealing with the virus on a much more personal level though after it was confirmed yesterday one of their Italian players, Daniele Rugani, had a positive test.
A positive test has also been returned in Melbourne where Formula 1 organisers are still trying to allow the season-opening Australian Grand Prix to go ahead.
McLaren has withdrawn from the race after a team member tested positive for coronavirus, leaving six-time champion Lewis Hamilton questioning what it will take to put people's safety first.
“I am really very, very surprised we’re here ... it’s shocking we’re all sitting in this room,” Hamilton said at the first official news conference Thursday ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix.
“It seems that the rest of the world is already reacting a little bit late ... yet Formula One continues.”
More than 300,000 fans regularly attend the Australian GP at the Albert Park circuit over the first four days of the season. This year was expected to be no different, despite the cancellation of some other large-scale public gatherings.
Asked why he thought organisers were persisting with the race, Hamilton said “cash is king.”
The ATP has also called off all men's professional tennis tournaments for the next six weeks while the PGA will continue for the next month but without spectators.
Attention will continue to ramp out towards Tokyo over the coming weeks on their final decision for the Olympics which are set to begin in four months.
Conflicting comments have come out of Japan this week, with some saying the Tokyo Games will be postponed up to two years and others quashing such talk and reassuring everything is fine.
To date, over 4000 people have died from the coronavirus and an estimated 125,000 cases have been reported to the World Health Organisation from 118 countries.
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